


my youth is yours

by demonhalo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Bullying, Childhood Friends, Closeted Character, Developing Friendships, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Insecurity, Misunderstandings, Peer Pressure, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Self Confidence Issues, Self-Discovery, Self-Esteem Issues, Slice of Life, Social Anxiety, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Students, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, gosh im trash, will update if needed!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-10-19 13:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10640472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonhalo/pseuds/demonhalo
Summary: you can never be sure where life is going to take you but i will never stop wishing that it will take me to you.





	1. warmth & the lack of it

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i spontaneously made this n it got so deep so fast but i jus adore high school au's ok!!! pls enjoy!!
> 
> thank u for reading, if u wanna go ahead n leave a comment!!! 
> 
> ps i adORE PIDGE
> 
> pps the tags make it seem sadder than it actually is sbckakfla

a couple days into september and it absolutely reeked of summer ending and the despair of a new school year was quick to approach. as usual it didn't wait for anyone to finish mourning the loss of constant late nights and no cares in the world, it was a rude awakening that came year after year.

this particular day was the first day of school, for lance it was the first day of the last year of high school and he was just as laid back as he always was. when the alarm on his phone went off, he had no trouble rolling out of bed and going straight to take his routine morning shower.

it was a mystery how he could be such a morning person, it must be because he just loved to pamper himself. lance was someone who sung in the shower, did a face mask, ate a nice breakfast and picked out his outfit the night before almost every day. he had his shit together (at least that's what it looked like on the outside) and it's been that way for a long time.

he didn't skip a beat when he threw his signature dark grey hooded jacket on and then grabbed his backpack from beside the door. he yelled to his still sleeping family that he was leaving for the day and did just that.

of course he left a few minutes early so that he could run through the neighbourhood and go pick up his best friend. the thing about lance was that he’s been walking to school with hunk ever since they were five years old, and here they were over ten years later still inseparable.

 

when hunk stepped out of his house he smiled warmly at his best friend and slung his arm around his shoulder as they started walking.

“you excited to be a senior?” hunk brought up the point as nonchalantly as he could, but lance could visibly see how happy he was.

“hell yeah man, we have to make this year count.” lance grinned brightly, walking down the sidewalk with the other boy and throwing his hands in the air. “the very hierarchy of the school gives us the best chance of survival.”

hunk pulled a face, a soft chuckle leaving his lips and joining the comfortable warmth in the air.  
“i mean, yeah? we’re the big fish in the small pond again, but if we continue school-”

“hunk, buddy, pal, friend o'mine,” lance stopped on the path and inhaled. “let’s just focus on the present, okay? first day of senior year, we have like 362 days to figure that college shit out.”

lance gently patted hunk on the back and then continued on down the path ahead of him. the larger male just stood there for a moment, trying to figure out the math that went behind that conclusion.

he eventually gave up because well, lance was happy and that's really all that mattered to hunk. seeing his best friend smile just like he always did

 

  
walking through the doors to the school he hadn't seen for a couple months was always the reality check, it was admitting that summer was over and this building was where he had to spent most of his days. lance fished his schedule out of his backpack, it was very crumpled and hunk cringed at the sight of it.

“where's your locker? and please say beside mine because last year i had to do an entire rhythmic gymnastic routine to get to it from mine.” hunk peeked over his friend's shoulder, eyebrows furrowing as he then reached into his pocket to find the neatly folded piece of paper.

“i’m pretty sure i’m on the third floor.” lance tugged at hunk’s wrist to get a look at his schedule, and he gasped. “pal, you know what this means right?”

they both looked at each other, eyes sparkling and lips pulled into bright smiles.

“we’re in the same hallway!”

that definitely attracted some stares, especially since lance began fake crying and hunk was thanking god under his breath.

 

hunk was on the other end of the hall, so when they got to the third floor lance was left to wander around the corner and search for his locker. as soon as he stepped foot around the corner a small frame slammed into him and he stumbled backwards.

“oh shit sor-”  
“watch where you're going string bean.”

that tone of voice was very very familiar to him, strangely familiar in fact. he looked down at the short haired girl who wore circle frame glasses and was playfully glaring up at him. lance’s jaw dropped and he waved his hands around in front of him to (badly) express his shock.

“holy shit, katie? what the hell happened over summer? you could've warned me?” lance was babbling at this point, because the katie he knew had long hair, wore dresses and always always looked more put together than she needed to.

but here she was with hair barely touching her shoulders, oversized t-shirt tucked into her high waisted shorts paired with black knee socks and worn out converse. in all honesty, it was like she was wearing her personality, and lance was fully aware he was grinning like an idiot.

“i’m doing a little bit of rebranding, so if you wanna,” she looked at lance’s sheet of paper and hooked her arm with his. “call me pidge.” lance blinked a few times, following along with her without question and nodding a few times.

“pidge, i like it…” he looked her up and down a few times and then felt pride well up in his chest for her finally finding herself. “understatement, i love it.”

“i thought you would.” she smiled over at him, stopping in front of his locker and then leaning against the one beside lance’s. the boy began to fiddle with the lock, glancing down at his paper constantly to try and memorize the combination as fast as humanly possible.

“so, are the glasses part of the look?” from what he remembered, she wore contacts everyday and once said she didn't look good in glasses. lance never doubted katie, but upon seeing her wearing glasses he doubted her, so strongly.

“i um,” she leaned in towards him and put a hand around her mouth to keep anyone from listening in on their super private conversation. “i fell asleep with contacts in after a marathon of legend of korra and it fucking burned, i was traumatized.”

lance couldn't help but laugh, though he shook his head slightly and proceeded to stack his limited school supplies into his locker.

“well i’m glad you had a good summer.” he teased, and she raised her foot to kick at the back of his knee. “ow! kidding, of course i’m kidding.”

 

“katie?” the girl stepped to the side to look past lance and she smiled softly at hunk who had stopped the moment he saw her.

“hey hunk, it's been a while.” they hadn't talked much during second semester, and their paths barely crossed during the summer. lance put his backpack back on and then shut his locker.

“oh she told me to call her pidge.” he let his eyes flicker between the two of them, and hunk shuffled a bit closer, head tilted.

“why pidge?” lance never even thought to ask her, so the question had him whipping his whole body around to stand in front of her and lean in curiously. once provoked he will always get the answer he wants, no matter how persistent he had to be.

“shiro sort of just started it…” she murmured, shrugging her shoulders and gripping at her backpack straps. lance gasped softly, clasping his hands together.

“shiro? as in the shiro? a god to the freshmen and the friendliest of faces?” what lance means is that shiro will help everyone with anything no matter how inconvenient it might be for him. he's just a super nice guy, and he helped pidge find her way around the school all of last year.

“of course, my favourite human in the universe, probably.” she stroked at her chin as she thought about it, nodding to confirm her decision, and lance let out another scandalized gasp.

“i’m not your favourite human?” lance clutched at his chest, dramatically sniffling and flinging himself into hunk’s arms for moral support. pidge laughed loudly, rolling her eyes and then flicking him on the back of the head.

“you're pretty high up on that list.”

 

maybe the first day of school wasn't so bad, maybe summer ending wasn't the worst thing in the world, and maybe senior year really was going to be the best year of his life.

he walked into english class, sat down in the far corner of the room and he looked to the side to see a new kid. lance personally thought of himself as approachable and friendly, so when he asked him what his name was he fully expected a response.

so why didn't he get one?

 

“um? did you just transfer here?” lance gently rubbed at the back of his neck, staring at this black haired boy who seemed to sink into his burgundy hoodie.

“stop talking to me, it’ll make it less weird for both of us.” he mumbled, not even bothering to look lance’s way, and he scoffed.

“fine, i was just trying to be nice.”

 

now this shouldn't have bothered lance as much as it did, but he couldn't let it go. he hated this kid, he was stuck up and full of himself and sure he's only heard him speak for about ten seconds but he hated him.

maybe the first day was supposed to be a little rough around the edges… maybe it was normal to hate an entire class just because of one person. or maybe that was just lance? just his obsession to want to get to know others?

after that day he learned the silent boy’s name was keith, and he could never forget anything he said, after all he was a man of few words.

 

keith didn't look at lance for the entire week. a whole five days, a whole five periods. he hated him, he couldn't stand people like him.  
what kind of people you ask?  
well lance had no idea.

he just hated… that guy. a lot. he justified it by just imagining he was the kind of guy who thought his way was the best way.

what a jerk, that keith. the absolute worst.

 


	2. paths that intertwine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa i literally planned this in church  
> u don't understand how excited i am for this crusty fic ajcnskcl
> 
> pls enjoy!!  
> thank u so much for reading!!!
> 
> n omg im sorry lance is like this
> 
> ps can u tell i adore pidge ?? 
> 
> pps can u tell pidge / keith is my fav friendship???????? whOOps im predictable 
> 
>  
> 
> ppps SH irooo!!!!

dragging her nimble fingers through her light brown hair, pidge wandered into her ap history class and was minding her own business. her eyes found their way to an empty seat in the middle of the very right row, and she was determined to sit in it.

unfortunately for pidge, things never seemed to turn out how she wanted. she found herself a foot away from her seat and suddenly confronted by a tall framed girl. pidge stared up at her, raising an eyebrow.

“anything i can help you with?” she knew there were mean girls, please don't let her be one of them.

“katie right? wow, you really did change. ditching your old good girl self and trying to be someone you're not.” the dark haired girl crossed her arms and looked pidge up and down. “cry for attention much? who even are you anymo-”

the boy sitting beside pidge’s dream desk had enough, he sighed loudly and sat up straight.

  
“hey, leave her alone.” both girls glanced over at him, and pidge smirked softly; she could take care of herself, she was knew that better than anyone.

“listen, i think you should worry about yourself and not me. i’m happy with myself,” pidge leaned in, single handedly dominating the taller girl with just a simple strong eyed stare. “the question is, are you?” she pushed past her to get to her seat, and she triumphantly sunk down into it.

“you think you're so clever-” before she could even finish belittling pidge, the short haired girl was leaning back in her chair and shrugging her shoulders.  
“aren't i?”

the two seatmates watched as the frustrated mean girl marched across the room to get to her seat and began chattering away with her friend, complaining probably.

pidge was busy fiddling with her hair when she glanced to the side at the raven haired boy and offered a smile.

 

“thank you, i usually fight my own battles.” she turned slightly so she could look at him clearly and she couldn't help but think he looked familiar. he took a few moments before he smiled back, and he nodded slowly.

“me too.” he leaned against his arm and stared at her as if analyzing her. “so you're katie?” the girl pulled out a packet of sour gummy worms from her backpack and ripped them open.

“yup, but i’m trying out the name pidge.” she stuck one into her mouth and then held one out for the burgundy sweater wearing boy. “and you?”

he took the candy, smiling gently.  
“i’m keith, nice to meet you pidge.”

before they could continue their first encounter, the teacher walked in and put down the stack of notebooks he was holding. the man straightened his tie and grabbed a sleek black book off the top of the pile.

“he's literally the most organized person i’ve ever met,” pidge murmured, leaning closer to keith’s desk and pouring a few candies onto the corner of his desk. “that notebook has all of his lesson plans in it, he planned the whole semester over the summer break.”

it was clear this wasn't her first time with the teacher, especially since she was the only one who dared to speak while he was.

“you're new right?” pidge would have remembered a kid with hair like that, shame on her if she didn't.  
“right.” keith ate another sour gummy candy that was slowly becoming a symbol of their blossoming friendship.

“why’d you move schools?” she put her bag of candy away and then scooted to the edge of her seat so she could get the inside scoop.

“i got expelled for stabbing a kid.” keith deadpanned, not bothering to look her way, and pidge nearly fell out of her seat.

“fuck!” she yelped, eyes going wide and heart racing in her chest. had she just befriended a psychopath? the teacher lowered the lesson plan and glared at pidge over the pages.

“holt, watch your language.” he grumbled, and pidge sat up straight while nodded quickly.  
“of course sir, sorry rivers.” she spun around in her chair and cautiously looked at keith.

“pidge,” the girl jumped at his lowered tone, and she did her best to fake a smile in reply. “i was joking my parents got divorced and i moved here with my dad.”

pidge rolled her eyes, snatching the gummy worms she had so graciously given him off of his desk.

“what kind of joke is that?” she huffed, as if she was sulking, and she snuck a glance. “i'm sorry though, about your parents.”

keith shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest slowly and relaxing in his seat.

  
“don't be, it was for the best.”

 

and suddenly ap history was becoming pidge’s favourite class, and keith was becoming her favourite conversation topic.

she couldn't help it, she just loved learning new things, and making new friends. she had a feeling this friend would be a good one, and he proved himself day after day when he smiled warmly at her but no one else.

keith hated history, but he was good at remembering things. when pidge was around to start witty conversations and give him various snacks, things seemed a lot brighter than they actually were.

history class now meant getting to know a friend, and for both of them, that's what they needed the most. a friend, a real friend.

 

on the following monday pidge was hopping down the stairs after second block and humming to herself. the lunch rush was insane but thankfully she was small and good at weaving through crowds. she saw hunk above the mess of people and rushed up to him.

“hey guys!” she leaned against the older boy and smiled over at lance when he came into sight.  
“hey pidge, you seem frighteningly happy.” lance mumbled, and pidge reached out to smack him if it wasn't for hunk gently pulling her arm back.

“what's got you so smiley?” hunk asked, patting at her soft hair gently and watching as she grinned in reply to his question.  
“i invited my friend to come sit with us at lunch!” this was especially for pidge, she hadn't made many friends in the past, lance and hunk were all she had since last year.

hunk gasped slightly, spinning around and squishing her cheeks with his warm,large hands.  
“a new friend? katie i’m so proud of you!” his eyes sparkled and the young girl rolled her eyes although she was smiling warmly at hunk.

“yeah, he got expelled for stabbing a kid back at his old school.” she took a step back from the two boy's and then casually began walking again.

hunk spluttered and gaped over at lance, who was at a loss of words yet could barely keep his mouth shut.

“i-i’m sorry what did you just,” lance trailed off, mouth going dry and lump growing in his throat.  
“not to be that person, but um, you invited him to sit with us? someone like that? pidge are you being threatened-”

“relax, i just wanted to see you two freak out.” she shoved her hands into the pockets of her overalls and looked over her shoulders at them. “he's nice, he moved because of his parents and his name is keith.”

pidge spoke as she fiddled with the striped shirt beneath the denim, wondering if she was going to get dress coded for wearing a crop top. but really that was the least of her concerns.

“wait wait, keith?” lance stopped in the middle of the hallway, pulling a face and visibly deflating.   
“yeah, he's in my history class and we’re literally on the same wavelength.” pidge smiled softly and lance wondered how she could be so happy about that stuck up prick. of course it was all in lance’s head but keith’s attitude toward him didn't help one bit.

“i’m not going to sit with keith, he's so stuck up and rude. i’d rather sit inside the trash can.” lance crossed his arms, and pidge huffed gently.  
“are you sure we’re talking about the same keith? he's anything but stuck up.”

pidge was beginning to think lance didn't know anything about her new friend, and judging by the way he stuck out his tongue to disapprove of the idea, she knew her hunch was right.

 

yet here they were at their usual table, pidge sitting next to keith who sat across from lance who sat beside hunk. lance literally ignored keith the entire time, but the raven haired boy didn't seem to mind because whatever pidge was saying was much more interesting.

lance was so busy chatting away with hunk that he didn't notice how bad keith was at hiding his laughter and how brightly he smiled when pidge told a story. she was good at that, telling stories and making people feel close to her.

they were sitting so close that their shoulders brushed every time one of them moved, and it felt like letting each other in was the best decision either of them had ever made.

“i’m gonna get some milk, want some?” pidge stood up from her seat on the bench, looking down at the long haired boy and watching him hum in thought.   
“get me some chocolate milk.” he snorted when pidge ruffled his hair and then rushed off through the cafeteria.

keith turned his head back around to look at lance and hunk, and he timidly watched for a few moments. lance seemed like a nice guy, he was terrible at telling jokes, but that made keith have to hide a smile behind his hand as he sat there. he knew he was just a bystander, on the outer circle looking in, but he didn't mind.

hunk was an ever nicer guy if possible, he laughed loudly and then apologized. he seemed to really know everything about lance, and keith couldn't help but think about his best friend. he loved not having to speak and having someone know what he was thinking, it made him feel loved. it made him feel like he belonged.

“hunk!” keith raised his eyes toward the voice, watching as a beautiful girl came rushing over, her loose braids resting delicately on her shoulders and pale floral dress contrasting her deep skin.

“oh hey shay,” he scooted on the bench a little bit giving her room to sit, and she happily plopped down beside him. “gosh you look pretty today.” hunk smiled at her, and she flushed while looking off to the side. keith decided not to watch longer because it was clear they had a thing for one another.

instead he looked across the table from him and realized that lance was glaring at him. he was scowling at him as if he was trash, and keith couldn't help but shift under the intense gaze. so he didn't like him, go figure, nobody really liked him. keith tried to be strong, held his gaze for a minute and pursed his lips.

“what?” keith grumbled out, his knee bouncing underneath the table because he couldn't wait for pidge to come back.   
“nothing.” his tone made keith rip his eyes away from him, nothing as in he wanted nothing to do with him ever. he wasn't oblivious, he hardly was, he knew he was lance’s least favourite person on the planet.

lance watched as the long haired boy sat there in silence, not even bothering to strike up conversation, and he furrowed his brows. keith reached into his pocket and took out his phone, completely shutting him out, and lance let out a sharp puff of air. this guy, what a bad attitude.

keith tried to keep his mind off of lance’s hateful gaze on him, but no amount of social media could make reality less real. he really wanted to be eaten alive right now, wanted to be in the dark where no one could see him, he wanted to be alone like he was meant to be.

lance didn't help that feeling of forever being an outsider, in fact he made it worse, keith only felt it this intensely when he was with him. what a horrible feeling that was, his stomach churned, and suddenly he didn't want that chocolate milk anymore.

 

when school was over lance,hunk and pidge all gravitated towards each other. pidge was listening to the last three minutes of a podcast she started in bio class during a work period, hunk was lending an ear to lance, and lance was of course complaining.

pidge wasn't particularly interested until her podcast faded out and she could clearly hear lance going on about keith. she knew keith better than he did, why was he being so close minded towards him? he wasn't some flat character he could just shit on for having one characteristic.

“lance, seriously.” she gently whacked him on the shoulder and he whined, holding the sore skin.  
“what?” he raised his eyebrows, looking like a deer in the headlights and pidge rolled her eyes.

“give him a chance.” she held her backpack straps softly and shifted. “please just give him a chance.” pidge was being genuine, no hint of sarcasm or sardonic humour in her voice.

she was sincerely asking someone close to her to be kind to someone else she wanted to be close with, and lance sighed as he agreed.

if only lance was a better listener. he heard her, loud and clear. but he didn't really listen to her.

pidge smiled gently at him, glancing back and forth between the two boy's before nodding.

  
“well i’m off to shiro’s, see you guys tomorrow!” and like that she was fleeing down the hallway, a hop to her step and bag softly jingling with all the enamel pins stuck to it.

hunk waved her goodbye, settling his arm around lance’s shoulder and then smiling slowly.

  
“let’s do chem homework at your house?” which was basically code for let's play video games and eat chips for five hours straight. but it perked lance right up and he grinned.

“um yes?” he scoffed as if it was obvious, and hunk chuckled loudly. they were still as inseparable as they had been when they were five years old, always there for each other and always there to clear the air.

lance was so excited that he completely forgot the previous conversations he had that day, he completely forgot about what pidge was telling him. or maybe he just… brushed it aside because he couldn't be bothered.   
he didn't want to remember, did he?

 

  
pidge clumsily unlocked the apartment door with the key shiro had given to her for emergencies which she never used for such occasion, and she ran up the stairs happily.

most of her happiest moments were with shiro, he never once made her feel bad for being who she was, and he reminded her there was no reason she couldn't show her true self. she trusted him with everything and anything.

she unlocked the door to the apartment and burst into the room. her face hurt from smiling so much and she slipped out of her shoes as she stumbled inside.

“hey shiro! i almost had an emotional breakdown because,” she tossed her backpack onto the couch and rushed through the living room. “comet was so close to eating shiro jr and i-”

she made it to the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks when a familiar head of black hair popped out from behind the open refrigerator door and mirrored her surprised expression.

“keith?” pidge gasped out, not sure to do with her hands so they just sort clasped themselves together and rested against her chin.

shiro had some serious explaining to do.   
as if on cue he called out for pidge as he wandered through the hallway, and the young girl couldn’t wait for him to answer all her questions so she was scrambling to his voice.

it seems as though keith had the same idea because they were now racing to shiro and jumping over the couch in order to reach him faster.

how did they not mention shiro in their six entire days of friendship? how could shiro not mention either of them to each other? how?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> literally my planning notes for this story 
> 
> "comet is her cat  
> shiro jr is a lovely potted cactus  
> shiro jr grew a lil flower, good on him"
> 
> anyways have a good day!!!!


	3. by my side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! this is a lil short but oh well!!  
> i hav english n bio hw so i rushed :(  
> hope u still enjoy!!1
> 
>  
> 
> thank u for reading!!
> 
> ps. im srry lance is like this kjfnc   
> pps. i lov keith n pidge so much?? can u tell?? im biased???

pidge flopped down onto the couch as shiro gently patted at her head, lips parted slightly and breath being stolen from her lungs. 

  
“so... you guys practically grew up together?” she asked quietly, crossing her legs and shifting so that shiro could sit down beside her.   
“remember i told you that story about the boy who would cry if he couldn’t hold my hand when he slept,” shiro smiled softly at the memories and keith averted his eyes as he sat down across from them. “and the boy who gave me a lollipop everyday for two-”   
  
“okay i think she remembers!” keith hid his blushing face with his hoodie, though pidge grinned at the poorly hidden sight of his reddening ears.    
“no wonder you looked familiar.” the raven haired boy sat up quickly, eyes wide and cheeks heating up far too quickly for his liking.    
“familiar? oh god shiro what did you show her?” the boy could feel his heart race in his chest, and he clenched his fists together. the eldest in the room smiled fondly at him, sticking his tongue out playfully to provoke him.    
  


pidge raised her hand, using her index finger to point across the room as the bookshelf, and keith twisted himself around to look. on the second highest shelf there was a framed polaroid of the two boys, keith was probably nine in the photo, had a missing tooth and was peeking out from under shiro’s arm. keith couldn’t help but feel warm at the fact shiro still held onto that ancient thing. 

 

“i can’t believe that the two people i treasure most became friends without my help.” shiro mumbled under his breath, wrapping his arm around pidge’s shoulder and pressing a purposely loud kiss to the top of her head. she pulled a face, shivering away from him.    
  


“gross.” she leant against him and then smiled over at keith.   
“you’re so loving it's disgusting.” he added, reaching over the remote and turning on the television. shiro snorted softly, not able to hide his smile from his face and then tossing a rolled up blanket over to keith.   
  
“like i said, precious treasures.” 

  
  


the day came to an end quickly as they watched movies together, many bowls of popcorn were consumed and too many dumb jokes were exchanged. when the sun set, pidge cursed under her breath and pushed off of the couch. walking home in the dark was never fun.    
  
“let me walk you,” keith spoke as he folded up the blanket and left in his chair. the young girl smiled softly, nodding gently and hopping over to the front door so she could put on her shoes. shiro passed by keith, patting him on the shoulder.   
“take care of her, okay?”    
  
  


pidge walked along the patchy yellow curb, occasionally using keith’s shoulder for balance as the older boy walked beside her on the side of the road. he kept saying he was on the road so that she could feel taller but she knew he was going it so that she wouldn’t get hurt.    
  
“so, when you barged into shiro’s apartment you were talking about emotional breakdowns?” he mumbled, his hands sinking into the large front pocket of his hoodie, and she nodded in confirmation. 

  
“oh! well comet is my cat,” she glanced up at the path ahead of her and carefully placed her feet. “and shiro jr is a cactus that shiro gave to me, he grew a flower.” pidge stumbled slightly, and keith found his arms twitching to life just in case he needed to stabilize her, but she quickly recovered. 

“hey pidge?” he spoke into the open air, and she hummed quietly in reply. “i just wanted to tell you that i’ve been alone most of my life and i’m glad to have a friend.” keith wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed to admit it, but he didn’t feel like he had to hide with her.    
  
“of course! making friends isn’t easy, especially if you want ones that last.” she glanced over at him and grinned, suddenly stopping. “i’m glad we met.” pidge pointed at the little yellow house behind her with her thumb. “thanks for walking me.”

the boy watched as she swung open the hip-high gate and skipped down the path until she got to her front door. she animatedly waved at him after she unlocked it and her smile was so bright he swore he could see her shining. 

  
“see ya keith!” he smiled.   
“night katie.” 

she closed the door, and even though he was alone in the dimly lit street, for once in his life he didn’t feel lonely.

  
  
  


hunk slid his bag on, sitting down to tie his shoes as lance slipped into his kitchen to steal a cupcake. he pulled the wrapper down and happily took a big bite.    
“is pidge still with shiro?” lance mumbled around the mouthful of food, and hunk peeked up from his sneakers.    
  
“i think she’s with keith.” he remembered seeing something on snapchat of the two of them, and lance choked on the cupcake at the information.    
“what?! that asshole?” lance put his food down and began pacing angrily. “i hope he doesn’t do anything to her or hurt he-” hunk sighed, cutting him off.   
  
“they seem to get along just fine.” someone had to be the voice of reason, and more often than not it was hunk in their relationship.    
“what if he’s tainting her?” lance threw his arms open, exasperated, and hunk stared at him blankly.    
“if anything they encourage each other.”   
  
lance shook his head, clearly unhappy with pidge’s choice of company and hunk let his shoulders fall in a sigh. hunk could read lance like an open book, he could never get away with anything.   
“i know you’re just looking out for her, but pidge always knows what she’s doing.” he stood up from his spot on the floor and reached for the doorknob. “see you tomorrow man.”    
  
“bye hunk.”   
  


  
the tall framed boy lay in his bed silently, on his back staring up at the ceiling with an arm over his face. the sounds of his family chattering and laughing played as his background music. it was comforting, it was what he listened to everyday, and he always felt warm. 

he couldn’t help but be frustrated with the idea of keith. he acted above it all, as if he was better than him and couldn’t be bothered to talk to him. keith didn’t even spare him a glance, who did he think he is? lance turned over onto his side, hugging his pillow close to him and frowning.

  
keith probably took people for granted and wasn’t grateful for what he had, at least that’s what lance was using to back up his argument for hating him.   
he was probably spoiled, that’s what will help lance sleep at night.    
  
while lance fell asleep in a home full of  never ending heat and fluttering laughter, keith fell asleep in a house that rarely felt warm and was silent except for the sound of pretending each other didn’t exist. 


	4. my heart has always been quiet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa!!  
> getting a lil into the family aspects n stuff!! 
> 
> i lov pidge so much i adore her!!  
> my angel!!
> 
> hope u have a good day! thank u for reading!!!

the soft voices of birds greeting each other in the morning and whispers of wind drifted through the window. the warmth spun around the room until it ultimately disappeared, and the young boy turned over in his sheets.

his eyes fluttered open, squinting as he found himself directly in the sights of the beaming sun. keith scratched at the back of his head, licking at his dry lips and then managing to roll out of bed. he hadn't opened his eyes until he reached the bathroom, and he cringed at the sight of himself in the mirror.

his hair stuck up in the strangest places and his fringe pointed in at least four different ways. he was used to it by now, he has just always hoped it would stop one day. keith managed to tame his messy locks with wet hands and lots of brushing.

he wiped his mouth after brushing his teeth, pulling a dark gray shirt over his head and then wandering back to his room to collect his school things. keith shoved his notebooks and textbook back into his bag, sighing quietly and then zipping it up.

mornings like this were common, where he sat in his kitchen silently and contemplated the thought of breakfast. sometimes it was just a bowl of cereal, sometimes it was half a piece of toast, most commonly it was nothing.

keith stood from his chair, treading toward a room that's door was always closed and he hesitantly tapped his fingers against the frosted glass door.

“dad, do want you something to eat?” he knew he heard him, he was always listening. keith let his hand fall to his side slowly and he cleared his throat. “i can make something if you want.”

keith twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, peering in and staring at the sight of the back of his father's head. he was doing what he always was, work. he never told keith what he was doing but he knew what to expect. no reply.

“dad?” keith repeated, eyes never leaving his back, and when he didn't even bother to take a breath to speak back to him keith simply closed the door once again.

it looks like it's going to be another breakfastless day, go figure. keith grabbed a packet of yogurt from the fridge and stuck it into his bag before rushing out of the door. he was sick of the silence, sick of coldness in the home when it was warmer outdoors.

keith slipped his hands into his jean pockets, eyes staring down at the path and ever so slightly stinging. he hated how things were, but he couldn't help it. it's been like that ever since the divorce, ever since keith reminded him of his mother every time he looked at him.

keith liked to pretend the reason he didn't talk to him was because it hurt him too much and one day he would smile at him again. but the reason was more likely that he had more important things to do than tend to his son who would be out of his hair in a couple years.

keith was always pretending.

 

  
lance was woken up by the pitter patter of feet rushing down the hallway and tiny voices calling dibs on the bathroom. he sat up slowly and yawned loudly. it had been a nice sleep, he dreamt so seamlessly he didn't remember anything. lance reached his arms up and stretched slowly, groaning a little.

he jumped out of bed and threw on the outfit he picked out the night before. it was a casual day so he didn't fuss too much, throwing the door to his room open and walking down the hall to find his younger sister camping outside the bathroom door.

he gently pressed a kiss to the top of her head.  
“morning!” he smiled, watching as she peeked up at him with sparkling eyes and grinned.  
“good morning! grandma’s making food!” she exclaimed, practically jumping and lance gasped dramatically.

the door opening and his slightly older, younger brother walked out and inhaled deeply.

  
“oh my god breakfast.” he zoomed past the two of them and lance just barely got the chance to pat at his head. the teenager smiled sweetly at his sister before he made his way down the hall and then downstairs.

he gently kissed his grandmother on the cheek, making sure the stove was turned off and then helping her move the heavy plates of food to the dining table. she smiled softly at him and thanked him with a quiet voice.

lance had just finished his breakfast when his grandmother was shuffling over with a neatly packed lunch and set it down in front of him.

  
“have a good day at school my love,” she started, squeezing his hand. “each lots so that you can do well in your classes.” lance smiled so brightly his cheeks hurt, and he nodded enthusiastically

before he knew it he was leaving the house with hunk and waving to his family peeking at him through the window. the most important thing to lance was his family, he would do anything for them, he loved never feeling lonely. there was always someone to talk to, someone to argue with until they gave up and laughed it off and someone to cheer him up.

lance was so thankful for what he had, he owed them so much. they were his motivation and he was theirs.

lance had them in his heart, always.

 

  
pidge sat at the very left of the classroom towards the back, she could see nearly everybody in the room and saw tons of exchanges everyday. she sat in bio class quietly in her one little bubble, and nobody bothered her.

it wasn't until her teacher decided to lecture them while behind his desk on the very right side of the class did pidge see her. her hair was long and the deepest shade of brown she has ever seen. it was almost always curled or put up into two buns. her skin was lightly golden, tiny freckles gracing her skin like constellations and grey eyes.

pidge was just observant that's all, she totally wasn't just watching her all the time and didn't realize she wore the same three pairs of shoes in a rotation. okay that was a bit too much huh? but pidge couldn't not look at her outfit everyday.

sometimes she’d wear a spring dress with a hoodie overtop, sometimes she’d wear an oversized sweater, sometimes a t-shirt and jeans and sometimes she just wore sweatpants.

pidge shifted in her seat, fiddling with her pencil quietly and biting at her bottom lip. she didn't know why her eyes kept falling to her, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop it. her chest felt tight in her chest, and no matter how much she pulled at her shirt it wouldn't get better.

her heart raced in her chest when she saw her lean back and laugh, tiny stray pieces of hair framing her face delicately falling and her cheeks absolutely shining. pidge scrunched up in her seat the most she could, forcing herself to look away and go back to her homework.

but she couldn't focus, she tried her best to read the textbook but all she could hear was her voice. it was soft like the way you’d expect butterflies to speak, her syllables like little bells and laughter full of clouds. pidge hadn't been much of a nature person until that day, until she realized she couldn't stop listening and staring at the personification of a pale pink lily.

 

  
pidge had been distracted all day hunk noted as he struggled to pay attention to the hallway himself. she hadn't said a word for a couple minutes, and it looked like her hands were shaking.

“pidge, you okay?” he murmured, pausing in the hallway and turning to face her. pidge came to a stop beside him, taking a small breath and hesitantly nodding her head.

“yeah i’m just tired, i had lots of work blocks today.” the lie came easy through her teeth, because she knew hunk was the one person who wouldn't pry. she saw the worry drift from his body but linger in his eyes for an extra moment.

“you can always talk to me if something is wrong.” he grinned softly, and pidge smiled back at him because she knew it was true. hunk began down the hall again, catching sight of shay and throwing his hand up to wave her over. “i’ll catch up with you later okay?” he glanced over his shoulder at pidge and she was slightly envious of how relaxed he looked.

“okay.” she whispered, watching as he linked arms with shay and the two were automatically a fit of giggles. pidge swallowed the lump in her throat, watching how comfortable hunk tucked a piece of shay’s hair behind her ear and then complemented her earrings while gently touching her earlobe.

they were so natural with each other, they seemed to be the perfect fit for each other, and nobody bothered them. pidge shakily exhaled, pursing her lips and then weaving her way through the hall.

she knew hunk had good intentions, she just wasn't sure if she could talk to him. it's not that she didn't trust him, it's just that she couldn't…  
pidge couldn't even trust herself.

 

  
when the bell rang, pidge hid in the empty chemistry lab until she didn't hear any voices outside. she sat on the floor behind a table and pulled her knees to her chest. she just couldn't deal with anyone today, she just needed to be left alone. pidge peeked down at her phone, lips turning into a gentle smile at the texts from hunk and lance telling her they’d gone home without her.

how did she get so lucky to have such careful friends? they've never once hurt her. well not intentionally. but even when lance did, it was because he backed up too far and pidge tripped down the stairs. he still piggybacked her to the nurse's office even though she insisted she was okay, and pidge laughed so hard she forgot she sprained her ankle.

she walked along the path with her hands sinking deeper into her pockets, the breeze pushing her hair away from her eyes and tickling at her cold ears. pidge kicked at the pebbles whenever she came upon one, watching as it bounced and settled ahead on the concrete.

she didn't know how to feel, she didn't know what to feel. describing how she felt in words was something she couldn't do, but she kept seeing paper birds wanting to be able to fly in the back of her mind. she looked down at the ground at a jagged little pebble, and frowned.

what if she was that paper bird?

  
pidge closed her bedroom door behind her, leaning against it and closing her eyes. she let her backpack fall to the floor and stepped towards her bed. she was always alone. it's not like she could help it, with her dad and older brother in the military and her mother always working.

she laid down in her bed, laying with her face to the wall and grabbing her phone out of her pocket. pidge held it tightly in her hands, staring at the blank screen. she wanted to call shiro, wanted to hear him tell her that she's not alone, because she always believed him.

she was afraid, afraid of bothering him and taking too much of his time. pidge pulled the blanket over her head, shutting her eyes tightly and curled up.

she was crumpled, caged.  
a paper bird.


	5. lingering gazes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!!  
> im having so much fine with this fic oh my gosh
> 
> everyone is in this chap my heart is full i lov all my darlings
> 
> thank u for reading!  
> it means a lot to me!

lance was about to put on his second earphone when he found himself face to face with shiro. he blinked a few times, letting the earbud fall from his hand and instead stopping in the middle of the courtyard.

“shiro, how you been?” lance smiles gently when the older boy looked up at him and visibly brightened.   
“oh man it's been so long, school’s got me caged up.” he ran his fingers through his hair, letting the light fringe fall delicately back onto his forehead.

“i haven't seen you since graduation,” lance noted, looking over the boy a few times and relaxing. “how’s college?” shiro let out a long sigh, and the younger chuckled gently. “that bad?”

shiro leaned back on his heels, shrugging his shoulders and raising an eyebrow.  
“i mean i finally got the hang of things, it's taken a little warming up but i think i have things under control.” he admitted he was being a bit generous with his comments, but shiro was always optimistic and that's what lance liked about him.

“you’ll figure it out shiro,” lance gently patted him on the shoulder “you always figure it out.” the older male smiled warmly at him, nodding gently.

shiro opened his mouth to say something only to spot keith in the distance with his hood up and head down. the older perked, looking back to lance and returning the quick pat.

“i’ll see around okay?”  
“yeah sure.” lance smiled at him, watching as he rushed away. he never thought he’d see shiro looking so giddy and full of life, but there he was.

lance finally put both of his earbuds in and as he was picking a song he heard a loud grumble. peeking up from his phone he saw shiro with an arm around keith’s shoulder, pulling him close and practically smothering him.

keith’s brows were furrowed, but he was fighting to keep a smile from forming on his face. he couldn't tell what they were saying, but shiro was grinning and keith grabbed at his arm as if to hold it closer.

lance couldn't believe what he was seeing. he wasn't completely sure what he was seeing, but he has several ideas. it all happened so fast, keith was smiling, actually smiling. it was shy, it was tender, it was precious. lance shook his head, picking a song as he slowly began to walk away.

he found himself stuck to the sight of them, and nearly bumped into a pole because he was so busy watching keith holding shiro so softly.

what was he seeing?  
why couldn't he look away?

lance swallowed the lump in his throat, having the tear his gaze away from them and jogging down the path to get far from the school.

why were they so close?  
why did he care so much?

 

 

hunk walked out of the nearby coffee shop and saw his best friend staring down at the ground with the most intense gaze he's probably ever seen. the only other time he's seen him so concentrated was when he was making a homemade card for his grandma back when he was ten years old and had to apply the glitter just right.

“dude, you look like you're going through a midlife crisis.” he spoke loud enough to break the barrier between them and his music, and lance nearly tripped over his own feet.

“hunk oh my god, i’m so glad to see you.” he flopped forward into his arms and let out a giant sigh. “i have something to tell you.” hunk grabbed him by the shoulders and firmly squeezed him.

“okay let's talk while we walk because shay and her friends are probably pointing at you and laughing from inside the cafe.” hunk mumbled, leading lance down the path and waddling behind him until his best friend was finally able to walk himself.

“okay so basically shiro is really close to keith.” he blurted out, exasperated and staring at hunk. the younger batted his eyes a few times, lips parting.

“seriously?” hunk whispered out, scrunching his nose and slipping his hands into his pockets. “i never would have thought they were friends, but the world is full of surprises.”

lance groaned a little bit, clenching his hands into fists and then spinning around to walk backwards.  
“but they're like _suuuper_ friendly.” he narrowed his eyes at hunk, and he tilted his head.

  
“what you think they're dating?” hunk snorted out, smile falling when lance only continued to stare at him. “oh my god lance, just leave it alone.” he walked past the other, and lance nearly tripped trying to catch up.

“hunk! he just threw himself at keith and keith just held him close and i-” lance was babbling, he was completely aware, but he didn't exactly know why he was so worked up about it.

“lance. why do you care so much? i thought you hated keith.” hunk raised an eyebrow, staring at the tall framed boy and humming in thought. lance sputtered softly, waving his hands in front of him desperately.

“i do! i hate him, and i don't care it's just,” he struggled to find his words, puffing out his cheeks when he couldn't arrange his thoughts.

“seriously man? leave it alone. don't be a dick about it. don't say somet-”

“woah woah, you think i’d… i’d spread rumours because i don't like someone?” lance frowned deeply, and hunk couldn't bare to face him. he bit at his bottom lip and gently kicked at the concrete.

“i want to believe you wouldn't lance, but recently you've been a little irrational. i don't want you to hurt someone like that, it's not that i don't trust you okay?” hunk peeked up at him, nearly averting his eyes if it wasn't for lance smiling softly and nodding his head.

“yeah, yeah i understand. i know you trust me, and i trust you because you’re like this. i promise i won't do something like that.” he stuck out his pinky and hunk grinned in response. they wrapped their pinkies around each other's and then gently wiggled them.

“good.”

 

 

but lance didn't necessarily give it up.  
because the next day in english he was leaning over in his chair and eyeing keith who was quietly annotating his novel. lance tried to keep to himself but he couldn't stop thinking, and so he began to fidget.

“pssst, keith.” he waited for a reply, but the other boy just turned the page of his book and let his eyes trail over the words. “keeeeith.” lance was not quick to give up, in fact he hardly gave up.

“hey ke-” the black haired boy clenched his teeth, glaring over at him and turning to face him.  
“what?” he was doing his best to not yell at him, but the whisper was still a little sinister.

“i just wanted to know how you know shiro?” lance murmured softly, blinking a few times at the boy and watching how his shoulders slightly folded and his eyes began flickering around the room.  
“none of your fucking business.”

lance stared at him, he really got a good look at him. keith’s dark hair gently fell on his face and curled in all the right places, his eyes were soft no matter how he looked at it, and his facial expression was really hard to read. lance just assumed he was angry at him, especially since he was bouncing his knee and he was holding his book so tightly his knuckles were white. he was so frustrated that he was shaking.

but that wasn't the truth. it really wasn't.

  
keith shrunk under the intense gaze of the other, his heart beat uncomfortably loud in his chest and he became extremely conscious about everything. he began to shake because he was so nervous, he held his book to stop his hands from shivering so harshly, and he shifted so his hair would cover his reddening ears. his face felt hot, he felt like he was going to overheat and just be sick everywhere.

“keith do-”  
“boy's please stop flirting, this is independent reading.” the teacher called out in the middle of class, the students bursting into tiny giggles and everyone turning around in their desks to see them.

nope he was going to be sick.

  
keith stood up from his seat abruptly, rushing to the teacher's desk and asking to use the bathroom. when she gave the okay he walked out of the class and then ran through the corridors.

  
keith seeked refuge in an empty hallway, curled up in the corner with his knees against his chest and his face tucked in the middle of them. he had texted pidge to come save him and of course she ditched her class.

he heard the rushing footsteps down the hallway, and he looked up through his hair to see her out of breath. before he could say anything she was squatting down beside him and gasping out a small “what's up?”

keith rubbed at his face with his hands, taking a shaky breath and clearing his throat.  
“tell your stupid friend to stop embarrassing me.” he mumbled, watching as she didn't even blink.  
“oh lance, yeah he does that.” the boy sighed, and pidge frowned softly.

“i don't feel good.” keith whispered, voice wavering, and the girl slipped down to sit next to him. pidge wanted to be there for him. he was always there for her, and she really appreciated it. it was the least she could do.

“what'd he do? if...you want to talk about it.” she glanced at him thoughtfully, noticing how deeply he stared at the ground.

“he keeps bringing so much attention to me, i don't know how…i can't function when that happens…i feel like everyone is judging me, picking me apart. i know i shouldn't care but the thing is i care so damn much. i get so anxious and i get sick to my stomach, i want to disappear.” he peeked over at her when he felt her fingers in his hair, gently running them through it. pidge shook her head softly, lips smiling sadly.

“you can't help it keith,” she used her free hand to hook arms with him and leans a tad closer to him. “wanna skip last period? i’ll treat you to froyo?” the boy breathlessly chuckled, smiling weakly at her and the girl felt her chest well up in happiness.

all she needed was a smile. a smile from someone who needed to feel okay again.  
it was a simple gesture, but it made pidge feel so full of warmth, and the way she reacted made keith feel a little warmer inside.

she was so glad they had found each other.  
keith tilted his head so it bumped against hers and they both shared a wide smile.   
he was so glad she found him.  
he was so lost without her, he still needed help to find his way. and there she was, the light in the darkness he thought was endless.


	6. half empty or half full

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!!!  
> sorry it's been so long i hav been super busy with school n reading!!
> 
> i lov my bby's so much aa  
> im sorry for makin them suffer :((
> 
> pls enjoy!! have a good week!!

  
his dark haired draped over his eyes as if a shield, and though it hid his quivering pupils it didn't do much to hide his stiff body. it had taken so much for him to call out to lance after class had ended. keith was thinking about it all night and had to plan out every single step. he shakily inhaled, and stared at a the lines in the floor.

“could you leave me alone?” keith mumbled, voice hoarse from not being used for nearly the whole day. he furrowed his brows, swallowing the lump in his throat and shifting uncomfortably when he realized how dry his mouth was.

“who do you think you are?” lance scoffed at him, disdain leaking through his words and making itself known when he shook his head. the raven haired boy slightly flinched, not enough for lance to see but enough for keith to know he had done something wrong.

keith hadn't meant to have sounded angry or like he hated him. he just didn't know how else to say it. he couldn't handle the wobbly feeling in his gut every time he felt gazes on him, and it probably didn't help that lance’s was so intense that keith could feel his insides swirl.

“just leave me alone… please.” with a shrug keith finally looked up at the other boy, hopefully he didn't come across as condescending this time. one look at lance and that hope drained out of him faster than he could breathe.

“fine. i don't want to talk to someone who always acts so high-and-mighty anyways.” lance took a step back and his dark eyes seemed to burn with a spark of hatred, and keith almost wanted to double over at the sudden bitterness he felt.

he nibbled at his bottom lip softly, watching as the brown haired boy shook his head at him and then grabbed his novel from his desk. lance walked away from him, sending one last irritated glance over his shoulder at keith and then leaving him alone in the classroom.

keith felt strangely empty. he had said what he wanted to say, so why did it feel like he had nothing left? he blinked a few times, not sure if his eyes were stinging because they were dry or getting too wet. all he had left were his words, and lance just took all of them with him when he left.

he cleared his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets and then dragging his feet towards the doorway. what did he do to lance? did he hurt him? the last thing he wanted to do was hurt somebody. did he say something? was it how he looked? was it something he didn't say? keith was always bad at mustering up the courage to use his words.

he could always just ask lance. the very idea made his race in his chest and his mind overflow with all the possibilities of what could go wrong. he couldn't ask him, not when he was so afraid of the answer. keith shrugged once more.

if lance didn't like him. he couldn't do anything about it. if lance hated him. he’d just have to deal with that too. keith looked back at the empty classroom, at lance’s desk, and he pursed his lips. he wasn't sure he could deal with it.

 

  
one class was easy. he didn't even think of it as two classes went by. the third day was when he realized it, that lance hadn't looked his way once the entire period. on thursday, keith was a little too aware. he felt as if he was wasting away in his desk.

it wasn't because he wanted lance’s attention, it was that keith went back to square one all over again. feeling invisible. as if he didn't matter, as if he was just a waste of space. as if he was too _high-and-mighty_ and only cared about the attention. he loathed it, the attention. he only wanted to be seen, as equal. all his life he's never been equal, he's never felt equal.

his father was better than him. he’s always looked up to shiro. his closest friend pidge was better than him, stronger than him.

keith sunk down in his chair, something welling up in his throat and words curling around his neck. his stomach had complete control over him, his mind didn't work and he could barely keep his eyes open.

he got up, and left. told the teacher he was feeling sick and then called shiro to get his mind off of all this shit. the only reason he was still in school was because he made a promise to him years ago, and shiro was the only person who has never given up on him. not even once.

  
pidge was combing at her hair with his fingers, sighing softly and then straightening the thick straps of her tank top. the cream sweater she wore fell from her shoulders and was longer in the back than the front. lance had made fun of her because he thought she was wearing no pants, he shut up when pidge threatened to throw her biology textbook at his face.

they all managed to fit side by side in the hallways of the school, pidge occasionally bumped into hunk who kept weaving out of the way of people too busy texting to look up. the girl sighed loudly, sending a whole lotta heart emojis to keith before tucking her phone away.

“i hope keith is okay.” she was mostly just talking to herself, she didn't expect hunk or lance to care.   
“what's wrong with him?” he glanced over at her nonchalantly in which the younger scrunched her nose.

“he hasn't been doing so well lately.” the boy nodded his head softly, looking forward and taking a small breath.  
“that explains a lot.” lance mumbled. pidge stopped the moment she heard him, teeth clenching slightly.

“im so sick of it lance.” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. he spun around, eyes wide with surprise and eyebrow raised. “you don't know him, not even little bit.” pidge huffed, she shook her head and then walked away from them.

hunk blinked a few times, rubbing the back of his neck and then turning towards his best friend.  
“she did have a point.” it wasn't easy for him to say, but some things had to be said.

lance rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up in mock surrender and sighing indignantly.   
“you too? is everyone on keith’s side?”

hunk frowned, patting lance on the shoulder and then looking at him with soft eyes.  
“lance you know i’m always on your side but sometimes you have to be reasonable buddy.”

 

  
pidge frowned deeply, rushing down the path and trying to get her mind off of things. everything was so hard, having to balance school with her friends or lack thereof, having nobody to come home to and the fear of not being accepted creeping up on her every night. she didn't know who she was, what she wanted or how others saw her.

she took a deep breath, squatting down on the concrete and burying her face in her hands. pidge just had to take a minute, just take a breather and then she could go back home.

“hey! are you okay?” someone yelled as they ran over, voice slightly wavering as they got closer. pidge looked up quickly to see who it was, her heart stopping in her chest at the sight of the cute girl from her bio class.

hair in two messy buns, strands framing her face, freckles peeking through her tanned skin, gray eyes full of concern and delicate gold necklace glimmering in the sun. pidge rubbed at her eyes beneath her glasses, struggling to her feet and then nodding.

“oh thank goodness i thought you got hurt or-” she paused, looking closer at pidge and then frowning gently. “what's wrong?” she could see the pain in the others face, and she gently grabbed at her light brown shoulder bag.

“i’ll be fine.” pidge whispered, running her fingers through his fringe and then letting it fall back into place. the brunette perked up a little, shoulders rising and grip slightly tightening.

“katie, you know you can talk to me if you want to. i really mean it.” she spoke under her breath, eyes shimmering, and pidge felt her chest feel a little restrained.

the girl from her bio class smiled gently, pidge couldn't stop her heart from racing when she noticed her teeth were a little pointed and she had the tiniest dimples. pidge couldn't help but feel disappointed that she never learnt her name, and yet she knew hers.

“give me your phone and i’ll give you my number.” she smiled even brighter and pidge felt her hands begin to shake as she reached into her pocket. when she held out her phone, she grabbed it from her delicately, her perfectly painted fingers cupping it and then tapping gently against the screen.

“anytime you need someone just text me okay?” she handed her phone back and then tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “or you know if you need someone rant to, or send memes to.” pidge laughed softly at that, nodding in response and then looking down at the screen.

_luna_. how fitting. she was as beautiful as the moon. no wonder pidge could never never look away. she stared at the pink heart beside her name, glittering and staring right back at her.

what did this mean? pidge looked up to meet luna’s eyes, glancing over how her eyeshadow glimmered and her lashes were wispy. she swore she wanted to know… but why did it scare her?


	7. things left unsaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!! this hard to write but also v fun??  
> you'll see what i mean aaa :((
> 
> i lov my sons!!!   
> precious treasures!!!
> 
>  
> 
> ps. i mean i jus personally dnt think soulmates hav to be romantic?? jus that som ppl r meant to be together even if jus platonic !!!

hunk picked up his books from out of the recycling bin. at least this time they had the decency to toss them into there and not the somehow always wet garbage. he inspected the pages with careful eyes, dusting off a few strands of shredded paper and then sliding his things into his bags. 

 

he wouldn’t call it bullying, but that’s just what it was. they spent their free time making hunk the punchline and making sure he knew he was meant to be excluded. it was always like that, because hunk was someone who wouldn’t fight back and they knew that. 

 

they preyed on him because he was kind, because he was gentle and apparently those weren’t very manly traits. hunk has never been interested in sports or has never had many friends, and somehow the bullies knew every single one of his weaknesses. hunk has had to listen to people laugh at him for years now, but since last year it’s gotten worse.

you see, when hunk started dating shay, one boy was particularly unhappy. what was a girl like  _ that  _ doing with a guy like  _ him _ ? hunk didn’t know what that meant, but he didn’t want to find out. they’d talk behind his back, tell the whole school, steal his things, shove him around and provoke him in hopes of him making a show of fighting back, 

 

hunk never gave in. he had almost become sort of numb. when they made fun of him for being timid, he shrugged it off. when they stole his things, it had been done so often he knew exactly where to find them. when they pushed him into lockers and shut doors on him, he barely blinked. 

 

this was just highschool, and it was almost over.   
hunk would be fine.    
that’s what he’s been telling himself at least. 

 

hunk had his fingers laced with shay’s, wandering down the stairs together while she spoke eagerly about something funny her friend did. he watched her face brighten as she smiled, she was practically glowing. hunk forgot all about his own problems, because being with her made everything better. it eased the pain. he could smile through it naturally, and she never found out.

 

hunk parted ways with shay and then walked home with lance just like everyday. two best friend’s side by side laughing so hard that they couldn’t feel their stomachs. hunk grinned down at the ground while lance talked so fast it sounded like he was going to pass out, and he stared at their shadows drifting along beside one another. lance was the most understanding, loyal person he’d ever me. he has never once let hunk be embarrassed alone.    
  
when hunk fell down, lance was tumbling down after him with a sheepish smile.    
they had each other’s backs, always.

 

but even when lance asked if he was okay, he’s nod his head and say “just tired.”

lance would just sling an arm around his best friend’s shoulder and then give him a half hug. hunk could pretend nothing had happened, and lance would never find out. 

  
  


hunk found himself feeling small in the presence of four boy's, sneering at him and mocking him. he never raised his head, because their faces were the equivalent of the masks of demons peeking through the darkness of the night. hunk wasn’t listening to most of what they said, he heard something about him being defective and some things too rude to repeat. 

 

he let himself be shoved backwards, wobbling only slightly before they snickered and decided the game was getting boring and they’d rather go home. hunk walked away from them, hands deep in his pockets and brows furrowed. 

 

“wait up!” he looked over his shoulder at a running pidge on her way over, short hair flopping as she bounced and eyes determined. hunk slowed down, smiling when she took a small breath and then spun around to stare down the hall at the ground of boy's. 

 

“you’re friends with them?” she nodded towards them, pulling a face. “robin and them?” pidge looked up at the boy, eyes obviously disapproving. hunk looked at her for a moment, letting his shoulders rise and fall in a gentle shrug.    
  
“not really.” 

 

he could have told her, right then and there. 

but pidge knew hunk well enough to know that he wouldn’t hide anything from her. 

and that’s why the guilt ate hunk from the inside out, this wasn’t like him.

this wasn’t the hunk his friends knew and loved. 

this was just him being a  _ fucking defective coward  _ just like the nightmare boy's said, over and over again.

  
  


 

keith tilted his head back as he tossed a strawberry flavoured marshmallow into his mouth. he was busy chewing when he heard shiro mutter a curse beside him on the bed and he glanced over to clearly see him. the older was playing a game on his phone, and by the looks of his soft pout he wasn’t doing so good. 

 

keith scooted closer, letting out a soft groan as he flopped down across shiro’s lap. they had this unbreakable closeness that came with growing up together. shiro didn’t pay him any attention, instead he focused on his rhythm game and even ended up humming the song. 

 

“remember when we had sleepovers every week?” keith murmured, watching as shiro’s eyes flickered over his screen and he smiles fondly at the memory. he could clearly remember sneaking down in the middle of the night for ice cream with extra sprinkles, reading comics together, and enthusiastically talking about pokemon. shiro chuckled softly.

 

“you never wanted to leave,” keith huffed, turning his head to look away. “your mom had to keep promising sleepovers.” shiro’s voice quieted as he spoke, and the younger nibbled at his bottom lip.

 

“mom never broke promises…” keith stilled. “i miss her.” he let his eyes flutter shut when shiro’s fingers began to run through his long dark hair. he had put his phone away when keith wasn’t paying attention, and the younger pressed closer to his touch. 

 

“i don’t know if you remember but when the divorce first happened, you ran away from home…” shiro shifted a little bit, just enough so that he could lay down beside keith. “you took the bus all the way to my house in the middle of a winter night in nothing but a hoodie and pyjama pants.” keith rolled closer to him.  "you showed up at my door with tears rushing down your face and you were freezing.” keith could never forget it. 

 

there were so many things running through his head when his parents sat him down and told him the truth. they’d been hiding it for months, they didn’t want to ruin his birthday or take his mind off of school. keith felt betrayed, the only people who made him believe in love were lying to him all along. they told him they were far too different and were slowly beginning to hate each other, and keith didn’t want to hear it anymore. 

 

he didn’t know where he was going, it was if he on autopilot. but within the hour he was crying into shiro’s chest and listening to his ears ringing. shiro took care of him all night, they talked for hours, even though keith’s voice was becoming weaker by the minute. he was thirteen at the time, and the world had been against him ever since. the only person who’d never wanted to hurt him was shiro, and for that he yearned for him without even thinking. 

 

“shiro?” it was so quiet that he got hit with a wave of nostalgia so huge that he almost drowned in it. for a split second shiro was back in his old home when he was fifteen with a broken boy holding onto him like he all he had left.

 

“hm?” he peeked over at keith to see his quivering pupils, but he didn’t say anything about it. 

“i love you a lot.” the raven haired boy whispered, turning to lay with his back to shiro, and the older smiled tenderly. 

 

“i love you too,” the silence that followed was comfortable. it was a security blanket draped carefully around them and keeping all the warmth in. “how’s school?” keith curled up gently, frowning.    
  
“not good.” he wasn’t about to lie to shiro. 

“why?” shiro lightly dragged his finger down keith’s spine, and the younger shivered in a mellow sort of way. 

“just some boy.” he didn’t know it then, but in approximately three seconds he would wish he rephrased that. 

 

"oh no, keith. it's been three weeks and you're crushing on-" keith felt his face burning before he could even breathe and he sat up so quickly he thought he was falling.

"I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM SHIRO, OH MY GOD HOW CAN YOU JUST ASSUME-"

 

shiro couldn’t hold it in, in fact he didn’t even bother. he burst into laughter, his chest rising and falling faster than he could keep up with. keith’s heart raced in his chest, ears turning pink. shiro wiped at his eyes, heaving loudly as he smiled brightly at keith’s sudden burst of energy. he reached over, gently cupping his face and he suppressed another chuckle. 

 

“why do i put up with you?” keith muttered, brows scrunched and lips halfway between a frown and a tiny smile. shiro smirked, eyes twinkling with admiration.    
“true love?” 

 

keith huffed in disbelief, shoving his hands away from his face and swinging his legs off the side of the bed. he got up and playfully glared at the delighted boy who was laid in bed without a care.   
  
“you fucking wish.” 

  
keith turned away from shiro, hot cheeks subsiding to a comfortable warmth, just shy of rosy. his heart gradually calmed, and he sighed sweetly.    
  
even after all these years,   
he was still his safe haven,    
his soulmate. 


	8. blossoms in the ashes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa!!!  
> this chapter made me super happy!!  
> even tho it's kinda sad but shh!!
> 
> my fav babies are so wholesome!!
> 
> have a good day thank you so much for reading!!!!

  
pidge fell back onto her bed, giddiness pushed at her shoulders and kept her there for a long while. in her left hand was her phone, open to the first text she had gotten from luna. her right hand was clutching at her brothers old tee-shirt that was still too big for her.

life was kind of beautiful. it existed in spring, when colours are splashed back into the world and the air becomes warm. it existed in the first snowfall, when it glitters on the ground and melts upon touching skin. it existed in the smiley faces and exclamation marks in the way luna texted. it existed in the very spaces between the letters. it existed in the way her freckles were more prominent towards her cheeks and delicate on the bridge of her nose.

not that pidge noticed or anything.

she finally got her words together and held her phone up towards her face. luna had asked for help on bio homework, thank goodness pidge was paying attention to class this time.

pidge replied simply, her heart racing in her chest when she texted back right away. either she was really desperate for help or she was just as excited as pidge was. pidge rolled over onto her side, purposefully typing slowly, and checking for any mistakes.

she only answered half of her question. on purpose. it made her stomach feel full just knowing she read it, and pidge smiled to herself. she didn't think about the passage of time, didn't care to time how long it took her to start giggling.

pidge was now somehow at the top of her bed with a pillow hugged close to her and her cat lying lazily across her calves. they had strayed from the topic of photosynthesis and instead talked about themselves.

she learned luna liked blue raspberry things for the sake of turning her tongue blue. she learned luna liked the word opalescent. she learned luna had a single mother and that she worked a part time job at the library to help out. pidge would now have to make as many excuses as possible to casually wander to the library.

pidge told luna all about herself. how she loved milkshakes, how she wasn't good at making friends but was clingy, how she was almost always alone. she ended up telling her about her confusion lately, that she doesn't know who she is. she didn't know why she told luna.

but she was so easy to trust.  
so easy to talk to.

 

  
keith smiled softly at the bouncy girl walking ahead of him, following close behind her on their way to class. he’s noticed that pidge has been really happy lately, and that fact alone made him feel a lot better. his expression faltered the moment lance skidded around the corner and nearly flattened pidge.

the girl made a strange noise, recoiling and softly bumping into keith. lance blinked a few times, laughing nervously and then grinning.

“sorry pidge, you okay?” he reached over and teasingly ruffled her hair. pidge scrunched her nose a little, pushing at his wrist.  
“don't worry about it.” she smiled at him naturally, and he then proceeded to smooth out her hair.

“missed you lately.” lance said, letting his hands fall to his sides and then leaning back on his heels. “really didn't mean to piss you off.” he didn't even bother to acknowledge keith, too busy trying to win back his friend.

“oh, don't worry about it.” pidge shrugged her shoulders, feeling a little weightless at the appearance of her always kind friend.  
“good, i really wouldn't want to lose you.” the girl shoved him playfully, grinning brightly.

“oh shut up. you won't lose me, not after all you've done for me.” she felt her cheeks getting warm and so she cleared her throat. “see you around?”

lance’s eyes glimmered when he caught sight of the pink creeping onto her face and he nodded enthusiastically.  
“see you around.” lance echoed, his tone silky and flowing.

he took a step away from pidge, his eyes raising slowly to look at keith, and he scowled. keith felt his body go cold. how could someone change so instantly? keith shrunk under his gaze, like he always did, and lance walked away after giving him a final judging look.

lance really didn't try to hide his feelings did he? he made keith feel as horrible as he thought he was. the raven haired boy looked to pidge who didn't seem to notice the exchange, and he sighed.

 

 

“are you two close?” he was just curious. he wanted to know a little more about lance, and what he was like when he actually liked you.

“close? are you kidding me? the only person closer to lance is hunk-” she trailed off and then hummed. “no actually lance’s little sister has me beat too.”

pidge smiled fondly. “he's literally serenaded me before. a week after i met him.” she shook her head and then pressed her hand against the top of her hair. “he's really patient and gentle. even though he's fucking loud and tells bad jokes.” pidge looked over at keith and shrugged.

“but he's always been there for me, he's never once judged me or made me feel bad. he’s there when you most need him… but don't tell him i said all of this because he’ll cry and hug me for an hour straight.” she rolled her eyes like she hated it, but from the gentle expression painted on her features it was clear it was the opposite.

keith couldn't quite figure out what the hot and suffocating feeling in his chest was. it was beginning to affect his brain and soon a storm of insecurity and possibility clawed its way through. this was unfamiliar territory for keith, having mixed feelings involving people. he was usually a very concrete person. he either loved you or hated you.

why was it so hard to choose for lance? why did he have to make him so confused all the time? why did he crave the kindness but at the same time want him to never look his way again? keith couldn't figure it out, and his already present insomnia would only get worse.

 

his thoughts were interrupted by an ecstatic pidge jumping and holding her phone with both of her hands in front of her face. keith raised an eyebrow, staring at her widening smile. he leaned over, softly bumping into her.

“what?” she hid her phone almost immediately,holding it against her stomach and wishing she could also hide her red cheeks.  
“nothing.” he narrowed his eyes.

“no that was not nothing,” she turned away from him and he smirked. “ _katie_.” he reached for the phone and she held it as far away from him as she could.

“keith don't you dare.” she yelped, standing on her toes in order to get more height and the boy laughed softly.  
“let me see!” he snickered as he nearly grabbed it out of her hands and she wiggled away from his grasp.

“keith i will fight you if you get any closer.” she tried to look menacing but keith knew her antics and could only smile at her furrowed brows.  
“uh huh, you're as tall as a fucking marshma-” loud footsteps interrupted them and they froze.

“there are students writing exams! get to class!” the clearly not amused teacher crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the two students.

pidge blinked a few times, apologizing under her breath and then grabbing keith’s hand. she pulled him away and once out of sight they ran down the hall. the girl laughed first, so hard that she nearly fell down the stairs, and keith joined in the chorus of laughter.

they intertwined their fingers as they practically hopped down the stairs, cheeks sore from smiling too hard and hearts warm from loving too much.


	9. breaths in autumn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaa!!  
> i lov this chap!!!  
> lots of fun to write!!!
> 
> bye my own poem made me sad  
> kfhkjg k
> 
> have a good day! thank you for reading!!
> 
> lmk what ur fav line was in the chap!! :)  
> thatd be super cute,,, 
> 
> ps. this is a lil long??

november. things were starting to fade, leaves losing energy and falling crisp to the ground. the air got chilly, drying out lungs and drawing out sincere clouds. things were finally settling. things were routine, and simple. high school was just high school. in six months it would be done and over with.

lance shoved his hands into his pockets, wincing at the unpleasant scrape of numbing skin against the convenient zipper. he would have worn gloves, if he hadn’t given them to his younger sister who had somehow lost her bright orange ones. he thought of her little hands being swallowed by the thick wool, and he felt warm again. from the inside out.

he wiggled his shoulders a bit, trying to get the short collar of his jacket closer to his face. lance was quite stubborn when it came to listening to other people. his grandmother told him over and over that he should bundle up. she spent her free times humming to songs from her childhood and knitting scarves for her grandchildren.

speaking of scarves, hunk had managed to sneak up behind his best friend and was busy curling a pale yellow one around lance’s neck. he peered over at hunk, who had both his hood and a beanie on his head. lance grinned loosely, breathing out comfortably.

they’d actually fought about it before. hunk terrified his best friend would just become so cold that he’d eventually crumble. lance hadn’t realized it was a fight. he thought hunk was just joking around.

it wasn’t until he heard the deep grumble in voice did he pause to see him halfway between seething and folding over to cry. lance was quick. he apologized in a light, airy tone and promised that he’d be more prepared next time.

of course he forgot, and instantly crumpled when he remembered how much it meant to hunk. but he wasn’t upset, instead hunk gave lance his scarf and told him next time he’d personally come to his home and dress lance himself.

lance had laughed so hard that hunk completely walked past him, hiding the fact he was smiling just as bright; perhaps he was smiling even wider.

 

  
lance looked at his friend for a few moments. he knew that expression, the frown present on his eyebrows but a pout on his lips. troubled? that’s what lance used to think. after knowing him for as long as he did, he knew better. hunk was planning. what?

 

lance tried to use his years of experience being hunk’s best friend but he didn’t have the answer to everything.

hunk caught his gaze, and without skipping a beat he answered his question. “on the 20th, i’ve been with shay for four months.”

he knew lance just as well. he wasn’t ever aware he was doing it but hunk saw the way lance’s eyes narrowed in the slightest and his jaw tightened. hunk was careful, because when lance was upset he often couldn’t get words out of him. he had to rely on his gestures.

lance blinked a few times, throwing his arms up not in celebration but at the realization that he was going to be alone forever. sure it was overdramatic but lance was born dramatic.

hunk didn’t pay it much attention, instead he went back to thinking about what he could plan for her.

lance was wallowing in self pity, burying the lower half of his face in hunk’s scarf and mumbling about how lucky he was. lance liked the idea of love, he wasn’t sure it was real, but he was a dreamer. always have been. he thought being able to brush hands and feel a rush was fun.

lance really wanted to be able to have someone rely on him, but of course that wasn’t all he was looking for. perhaps he just like the idea of skin touching skin and lips touching lips. he just hasn’t figured out whose skin and whose lips he wanted to touch. maybe he’s already found them.

hunk suddenly made a tiny noise of discovery, one that lance wouldn’t believe came from him if he hadn’t it before. he waited for hunk to tell him what was on his mind, but he continued walking, and lance scoffed.

“okay? just leaving me in the dark?” he complained, rushing behind him and nudging at him with his elbow. hunk just smiled kindly despite the words he said.  
“i don’t want you to ruin it.”

lance would have been hurt, but it was true. lance had a habit of needing to tell people things and it wasn’t because he had ill intentions. he just got lost in conversation and rambling came so naturally to him that things slipped out.

 

lance stared blankly at the whiteboard in english class. the teacher, a short framed woman with square glasses that seemed to always wear a sundress stood at the front of the class. she was very pleased with herself for introducing this new activity they’d do everyday.

until she got tired of it. lance quickly learned she was the type who craved change and would tamper with things until they made most sense to her.

“autumn” was written in her neat handwriting in the centre of the board.

her instructions were simple. write a poem about autumn. she didn’t specify length, nor format. the main scheme of the change of schedule was that they’d be handed in anonymously and the students would read someone else’s aloud.

it was an exercise to get to know some of “the bright minds in the class who may not have a strong voice to share.”

lance knew nothing about poetry. he didn’t read it. he barely listened to hunk when he randomly started reciting some at 3am during their most recent sleepover. he’s only written one poem about a goat… on a boat. lance slumped in his chair, trying to get his fifth grade limerick out of his head, and he peeked around the classroom.

some students were quickly scratching their thoughts down on paper, some were already done and were folding it twice as per instruction. thankfully some students sat there, expressionless and eyes as empty as their papers.

lance wasn’t quite sure he wanted to be lumped in with them, but it was comforting to know he wasn’t alone. he moved to turn his head to the left, but caught himself.

he hadn’t looked on that side of the classroom since keith acted like he owned the place and told him to leave him alone. lance would hate to inconvenience that egoistic prince. he rolled his eyes just thinking about him, and yet he found himself sneaking glances.

keith was hunched over his desk, using his arms to hide what he was writing, and his dark hair was messily neat around his face. lance was staring. he just pretended he wasn’t, he convinced himself he wasn’t. he was _observing_. very different concepts, this is for… science. he let his eyes flutter over keith’s smooth skin and fluttery lashes.

they traveled down his neck, stopping for a second at his collarbones that peeked out from his gray sweater and they moved to the way his fingers were barely visible under the long sleeves. for science. this was purely observation.

keith let out a small breath, erasing a couple words and then licking at his slightly chapped lips. he flicked a longer piece of hair out his face and then quietly mouthed out his poem. he just wanted to get a feel of the flow. hopefully it had one. it didn’t matter too much, but keith prided himself in his work. afterall it reflected him. making it anonymous made him feel a lot better, the pressure was lifted in fact.

lance swallowed the lump in his throat, then he sat up straight and tore his eyes away. when did that happen? when the hell did he get entranced by keith? he shook his head, looking down at his paper and forcing himself to write about leaves. he wasn’t captivated, he was just curious. he hadn’t looked at keith for a whole month. he just wanted to check he looked the same… for science.

  
lance had listened to so many poems the thoughts didn’t even hit him as deep or magical anymore. though the rest of the class was still reactive and as instructed by the teacher would snap loudly until deemed too much. by the time it was his turn, he didn’t expect much. he stuck his hand into the bucket of poems that the teacher held out to him, and he chose one on the top.

he stood up from his seat, cleared his throat, and unfolded the paper. “i was never fond of autumn,” he started, focusing not much on the words but more on the handwriting. “i never looked forward to watching things die.”

lance was busy looking at the narrow letters and how close together they were, the way the g’s hung low and the i’s were stubby. it looked like a font, but not one that’d you’d find right away. it was a font you’d have to dig to find, it was so nice, you would wonder why people wouldn’t use it more often. perhaps it’d lose it’s effect. this sort of spellbind.

the poem, didn’t register in his mind until he was half way through it.

  
 _i was never fond of autumn_  
i never looked forward to watching things die  
the leaves are only mystifying the first few times  
after a while things get dull  
the leaves get torn and soggy  
the winds turn from tender to angry  
the cold suddenly isn’t all that kind  
i guess you could say i hated it  
people always say hate is a strong word  
i know what i feel, i know i hated it  
autumn slowly killed things to pave way for beauty  
it took the joy from the summer  
it steals the sun’s kisses  
i realized that i hate autumn because it’s like me  
after a while,  
i get dull.

  
lance heard his voice quiver, and he hoped that nobody else noticed. he hurriedly folded the paper back up and then looked up at the class. the teacher clutched at her chest, shaking her head softly, humming lowly. as if she felt it, and judging her somber gaze, she really did.

he blinked a few times, realizing his eyes were burning and he panicked. the class was just a sea of snapping, and occasional giggling because one girl was wiping at her eyes and her friends were teasing her.

lance sat down, not knowing what to do with the poem. he held it between his hands, tightly, but he made sure not to crumple it. it would feel wrong to do that to someone’s work, someone’s heart.

he didn’t bother looking at the class immediately forgetting about the poem and moving on to the next person. he didn’t bother looking at the next kid shoving their hand into the poetry bucket. he didn’t bother looking at keith, who nervously nibbled at his lip, curled up the best he could in his desk and tried to calm his impatiently rapid heart.

lance tucked the poem into his notebook, he probably would bother looking at it again. he swallowed the lump in his throat for the second time during that class and shakily exhaled; he’d look again and again.

 

pidge was currently in the middle of two of both the most comfortable and uncomfortable people on earth. shiro was on her left, watching her wiggle around in an effort to take advantage of their body heat. keith was on her right, arm nonchalantly resting on the top of couch as he quietly watched castle in the sky for the third time.

pidge experimentally laid her legs on top of keith’s lap, giggling softly when the boy didn’t break eye contact with the screen.

she then leant back and let her head fall against shiro’s shoulder. she knew he didn’t mind. pidge hopelessly reached for a plate on the coffee table, wiggling her fingers insistently as if that’d make her arms grow any longer.

shiro sighed, handing pidge her ice cream cake and snorting gently when her eyes lit up. these sort of things happened more frequently. pidge didn’t like being alone, keith was always alone, and shiro was getting tired of being alone. of course they’d all find their way to each other.

somedays it was just pidge and keith, they haphazardly baked cookies and went on midnight walks to places they’d get lost in if they were alone. somedays it was pidge and shiro, studying together or more often going to stores they didn’t know existed.

somedays it was just keith and shiro, reminiscing over the past, giving each other advice and ending up asleep on one another. somedays it was all of them, either spontaneous and borderline unimaginable or cozy and familiar. guess what type of day it was.

keith was busy humming along to the soundtrack when he peeked over at his best friends only to see them both fast asleep. he would have been offended if it wasn’t 2am and he knew neither of them had a good night sleep before. he fondly watched the way pidge’s head slightly shifted and her hair flopped to one side. keith glanced over shiro who leaned just a bit against pidge, their arms somehow intertwined.

he found himself smiling, completely in love with his friends. keith took out his phone, leaning back far enough to get them both in the picture and he snickered. he’d never tell them he had this picture, though they’d probably find out. he was very sentimental and not very good at hiding things.

keith settled back down beside them, moved pidge’s plate of melty cake and then leaned against the opposite side of the couch. he let his eyes close and he held his phone close to his chest. they’d probably find out. it was his lockscreen. he needed reminders he was loved. when he felt a blanket being thrown poorly over him, he smiled softly and he could feel pidge sleepily hit his knee.

reminders like this. he loved them so dearly. he had finally found a place where it wasn’t unrequited. after years of chasing love blindly, it had found him.  
finally


	10. souls with bruises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hav been looking forward to the second half of this chapter since i started this fic omg!!!!
> 
> aa i rlly like this chap :(  
> hope u enjoy!!
> 
> goodnight it's almost 12am aaaa  
> ily!! thank u for reading!!!
> 
> also jus warning the word f** is used!! jus want to let u guys know :(

lance looked around the classroom slowly, eyes scanning his classmates and searching. he didn't want to admit he was looking for the person who wrote the poem from last friday, but he was and it was unavoidable.

he was a persistent person, often described as annoying because of it. lance didn't let it bother him so much, he couldn't help wanting to know the answer to his many questions. he was just curious by nature.

the topic today was also simple, introduce yourself. everybody in class knew each other but nobody really knew each other. lance tapped the end of his pen against the desk and he thought of ways to describe himself. friendly? a lover not a fighter? a nice guy?

lance glanced over towards keith, watching as he had the slightest smile on his lips while writing. lance found his chest feeling tight. he must be someone who was better at writing than speaking. lance didn't know why he cared, but it was a nice thing to learn about someone.

  
when keith had to read someone else’s poem, his voice shook but mostly because he was so nervous about all the sets of eyes on him. he tried his best to not shake so much but it was unavoidable. he felt his heart clench at the quiet recognition that everyone’s family was warmer than his.

lance admitted he cheated a little bit, he peeked through the pile of poems until he saw the font and quickly grabbed it. he didn't know why he felt so inclined to read it, maybe he had gotten hooked on the writing or just wanted to learn more about the writer themselves.

he cleared his throat, eyes flickering over the letters and soaking in the meaning.

 _hello, i don't think you’ll ever get to know me._  
_you can try your best but i’m hardly likeable._  
_i am soft spoken and like rounded edges._  
_i like red because it has more than one meaning._  
_i am lonely even in a crowd of people._  
_i like being cozy because it's the only warmth i get._  
_i am breakable and hate it about me._  
_i like rounded edges._  
_but i am rough edges._  
_but i wish i could be something that i'm not._  
_i am too many edges._  
_i would like to be rounded._  
_i would like to be someone_  
_who is not me._

lance felt empty. like his homemade breakfast cooked by his grandmother’s love didn't exist anymore. he sunk down in his seat, tracing his finger over the low hanging g’s and then frowned. he knew how it felt. knew how it felt to be lonely when it appeared you weren't. knew how it felt to want to be someone else.

he folded up the paper and slid it into his notebook once more. this time he looked around the classroom, wanting to get the poem off of his mind. he looked around at the teacher who already forgot all the words, at the students eager to read next, at the same girl who wanted to cry, and finally at keith who had the tiniest tears in his eyes.

he held his gaze for a moment, too curious to look away. lance couldn't look away from the other boy, and keith was stuck in place as he looked back at him. perhaps he was frozen by nerves, or just overly aware that lance was watching as a tear threatened to fall down his reddening cheek.

keith wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve, sighing softly and finally turning away from lance. he held his hands tightly together on his desk, trying to hide the fact he was shaking by bouncing his knee.

he hoped lance didn't try to unravel him in his thoughts, he hoped he didn't figure it all out. he didn't want to be known. but at the same he wanted lance to know him. he didn't want to remain an enemy in lance’s eyes, he wanted to known as soft spoken. he wanted to be rounded edges. he wanted to be more than just an assumption. keith wanted to be more than who he thought he was.

 

  
hunk slumped slightly when robin managed to corner him in the hallway again. he was lucky to have become numb to his countless attempts at hurting him. hunk glanced at him, shaking his head and continuing to walk. he wished robin had just taken a second to think that maybe hunk was having a bad day and couldn't deal with this.

of course robin didn't care, so he resorted to attacking what hunk cared about the most. or in this case, who.

“you know i’ve heard some very unflattering things about your precious girlfriend,” robin started in a singsong voice. “sounds like a real bitch.” hunk knew he shouldn't, but he spun around to face the snarky boy and gritted his teeth.

“don't talk about shay like that.” hunk took a couple steps forward, standing a few inches taller than robin and glaring at him.  
“oh? what are you gonna do tough guy?” robin smirked widely, eyes gleaming with amusement and voice heavy with mockery.

hunk opened his mouth to speak again but pidge pushed her way through the bystanders who didn't bat an eye at the fight and shoved robin away from her friend. standing half a foot shorter than the both of them, she rolled up the sleeves of her oversized sweater and fiddled with the waistband of her skirt.

it was a strange sight to see a small girl in the middle of the scene, but hunk was thankful for her interference.  
“fuck off.” pidge grumbled, eyeing robin with a harsh gaze and then steps away from him.

“katie holt, seriously?” robin raised an eyebrow, “can't fight your own battles big guy?” pidge huffed loudly, begrudgingly letting herself get pulled away by the only pacifist present. hunk was reassuring pidge that he wasn't worth it and in the end she'd just regret it, and she wholeheartedly agreed.

until robin scoffed and spoke once more.  
“such a fucking faggot.”

pidge was thankful for her thin limbs and lack of height. she slipped away from hunk’s grip and found her way back in front of robin. pidge punched him. as hard as she could. something cracked and hunk prayed it wasn't her hand. thankfully she had properly tucked her thumb below her curled fingers.

pidge was fuming, her chest rose and fell faster than she could keep up with. robin had stumbled back into one of his friends arms and pidge was pretty convinced she had broken his nose. she felt her hands begin to shake as she looked around at the sudden crowd of students gaping at her, and she froze.

“fuck…” hunk whispered upon seeing the dark red dripping onto robin’s hand which he had cupped over the lower half of his face. hunk reached down and grabbed pidge’s wrist, gently squeezing as he pulled her away in attempt to reassure her that it’d be okay.

 

they ran down the hallway, not saying a word to one another. pidge spent most of her time blinking back tears, and hunk was trying to figure out where to go to avoid trouble.

“holt.” the two stopped dead in their tracks on the top of the staircase, and pidge turned to look at mr.johnson, her history teacher. she swallowed the lump in her throat and silently pulled her hand from hunk.

“sir.” she murmured, voice weaker than either of them had ever heard it before.  
“come to my classroom, i saw what happened.”

  
pidge sat on a desk in the middle of the first row, picking at loose threads on her knee high socks and avoiding eye contact with mr.johnson who leaned against his own desk with his arms crossed.

“holt, what the hell was that?” it was hard to tell if he was disappointed or just surprised. perhaps it was a dangerous combination of the two.  
“he deserved it.” she dragged her finger up the side of her sock and then cautiously up at him. “you know i don't just punch people for fun.”

mr.johnson sighed, it was so long that pidge shifted uncomfortably.  
“i know… holt i’ll try my best to protect you okay? i don't necessarily agree with how the principal-”

“i-i won't get kicked out for punching a kid right?” she blurted out, eyes wide and heart nearly beating out of her chest. her father would be so upset with her, her older brother would have expected more from her, and her mom oh god her mother still wasn't happy that she chopped off her hair she’d probably never speak to her again if she got expelled.

“katie. i told your father i’d keep an eye on you.” mr.johnson wandered over and softly patted the young girl’s head. “i’m not going to let them kick you out, i’m just saying you might get some consequences.”

pidge slumped slightly, shoulders folding and her head dropping. she really messed up hadn't she? her eyes jumped when the classroom phone rang and mr.johnson calmly walked over to answer it. she knew it was the office, it had to be. she licked at her dry lips and looked to her history teacher, he motioned toward the door with his head, and then set down the phone.

she messed up.  
she let her anger get the best of her.  
pidge left the safety of mr.johnson’s classroom and began shuffling to the office.  
she looked down at her hand, experimentally squeezing it into a fist and then holding it close to her chest.

she didn't feel bad about doing it though.  
she’d never be sorry.  
that thought alone brought the tiniest sliver of a smile to her face, but it left as soon as it was recognized when she saw the principal standing outside of his office with the door wide open.

pidge really wished she wasn't alone right now.  
fighting for the sake of others was easy for her.  
fighting against equal powers was even easier.  
fighting for herself against the head of the school?  
not easy. in fact, it was terrifying.


	11. need for closeness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this almost all at school aaAA  
> i jus finished a bio quiz n im emotional..listen i love pidge so much
> 
> thank u for reading!!  
> hope u have a good weekend!!  
> comment ur fav line maybe?? :o
> 
> ps. keith n pidge r my children the loves of my life my angels my babies

katie sat in the dark plush chair that sighed as she lowered herself onto the cushion. she pushed back in the seat so that her knees didn't brush against the oak desk in front of her, and she swallowed in attempt to get rid of the dryness in her throat.

the principal took his sweet time getting to his desk, walking slowly, his dress shoes tapping against the floor. pidge wished he’d just sit down, but instead he glanced at himself in the mirror and pushed at his thinning almost all gray hair.

“katie i hate to sound like a broken record,” his voice was unnecessarily loud, causing the young girl to curl further back into the seat. “violence is not the answer to anything.” he finally sat down.

he stared at her with heavy eyes, but pidge didn't bother looking at him. she couldn't. her eyes looked to where ever he wasn't. for the longest time she was eyeing the small figurine of a lion on the corner of his desk.

“if something is happening, you are to go to a teacher right away.” he mumbled, bushy brows knit together and lips frowning deeply. the creases in his forehead were prominent, and katie gently shrugged her shoulders.

“i didn’t have enough time, i was scared.” she wasn't lying, she’d never leave hunk in his time of need, especially not with robin. that boy has been suspended more times than she could count for starting fights with people.

“i assure you this school is safe, maybe you should have just let boy's be boy's.” katie gripped the side of her chair tightly, the colour draining from her hands slowly.

“hunk is my friend. i would never let him get hurt it i can avoid it. i’m not going to let some guy be a jerk just because he's a boy, that's not an excuse.” her huffed softly, looking towards the small silver picture frame close to the phone. she looked at his family, his wife, his two sons and one daughter. she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

if her older brother were here right now, he’d look at katie with unsettled eyes and shake his head. he always told her when she was angry she said things she’d regret. but matt wasn't here, and pidge suddenly didn't care what her family would think of her. she wanted to stand up for herself, for the people she loved.

“katie this isn't like you.” her principal murmured, his tone low and what sounded like an attempt at softness. she nearly laughed at the sound of it.  
“how would you know?”

she hadn't set foot in the principal's office during her two years at this school, and the principal tended to never show himself during the day.

“i think you're just confused, with all of this change you’ve been-” pidge didn't give him a chance to finish his thought, she sat up straight in her chair and glared at him.

“excuse me?” her voice was rough, as if she forced it from her tightening throat. the principal looked at her, visibly loosening.  
“i understand you're having trouble finding yourself, i don’t know what happened last summer but it's clear that you're going through a lot.” he leaned forward against his desk and smiled softly.

it was the most staged thing she’d ever seen. he flashed a smile as if he knew her, and she felt her stomach tie itself into knots.  
"if you need someone to talk to, or if you need help just know the guidance counsellor is here anytime.”

help? as if she was suddenly a problem now? as if she needed to be fixed?

pidge abruptly stood up from her seat, slamming her knee against the desk and grimacing only out of frustration for this man the school put in power.

"i know who i am, and i'm beginning to figure out who you are too." pidge spat out the words, voice dripping with venom. "frankly i don't like you very much." she pushed away from the desk and stormed out of the room.

 

she should have held her tongue. by the time she was out of the office she was heaving and tears were dripping down her chin. she barely had time to look up when she felt strong arms wrapping around her and pulling her close.

she whimpered softly, pushing herself closer, without even looking she knew it was hunk. when he pulled away, she wiped her eyes with her sleeves and gently looked at lance who looked more worried than she was.

“are you-” he was interrupted by keith tumbling towards pidge and hugging her tightly. she grabbed at him softly, sniffling a bit and pressing her face against him. keith didn't care that people in the hallway stared as they walked past, or that lance and hunk watched with observant eyes. all he cared about was pidge and how she shook gently in his arms.

 

“katie,” he whispered, pulling back just enough to wipe at her eyes with his trembling hands. “you okay?” she closed her eyes tight and shook her head. of course she wasn't, who would be?

“can you come over after school?” pidge whispered, wiping at her eyes and then shakily exhaling. “i want to tell you something.”

keith nodded gently, holding her in a soft embrace and glancing up to trade gazes with the other two boy's. they all had the same look in their eyes. full of sorrow and regret. they couldn't do anything to protect pidge, even after she worked so hard to protect all of them. they all longed to do more.

 

  
it was monday, november 21st. she didn't check but it felt like it was 5pm. her knees were to her chest. she looked anywhere that wasn't at keith.  
her eyes lingered on the boxes of takeout that they had eaten while somehow telling jokes.

she held herself closer, staring at the leftover chow mein and then turning her head to peek over at him. keith sat quietly, respecting her space, respecting that she needed her time. pidge felt warm just knowing he’d do that for her.

“keith?” he leaned back slightly, head bumping against the back of the couch. he held her gaze experimentally, not wanting to force her to be strong, and when she didn't look away he found himself stiffening just a bit.

“i’m gay.” her voice wavered. broke. skipped a beat. she could no longer feel the cage around her, she could finally breathe, and when she did it was trembling. keith’s soul ached at the expression on her face.

she looked healed. even though she had been crying almost all day, even though her eyes were red, her body was nearly folded in half and her face was slightly puffy. keith nodded soundlessly, putting his arms out and gently beckoning her over.

“c’mere” his voice was silk, gentle, and careful. the young girl struggled to get onto her knees and then crawled across the couch to get to him. keith didn't rush her, just waited patiently and then when she sat down on him he wrapped his arms around her.

they didn't speak. they didn't need to. pidge was wrapped around keith softly, silently crying against his shoulder and quivering as she did so. keith held her tightly, letting her know that he was there and that he wasn't going anywhere.

 

november 21st. the longest day of her life, the day katie was finally honest to herself. the most meaningful day of her, the day katie knew keith was everything she wanted in a friend. the hardest day in her life, the day katie was broken so badly that she just couldn't stop crying.

but it was okay. because she had him. her secret was safe. as safe as she was in her best friend’s arms in her dimly lit living room. it was going to be okay. she had him and he had her.


	12. never let them walk alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u enjoy!!  
> sorry for my absence :(  
> school n bday parties have had me busy!!  
> but now i got nothing!!!!
> 
> abdmakfls   
> klance is on the way pals!!!

  
katie had barely walked two feet into her biology class when luna hopped from her chair and practically stumbled the whole way to her. luna’s hair hung around her face in loose ringlets, bouncing as she tripped her way towards the shorter girl.

“katie! oh my god, are you okay?” luna was babbling, katie’s cheeks were red, and the rest of the class eyed the two carefully.   
“y-yeah, thanks.” she didn't know if it was a lie but she wasn't feeling as horrible as she did the past two days.

before she could say more, luna wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. katie’s heart was racing so quickly she barely heard herself thinking, but like most things in her life it only lasted a few seconds.

“luna, are you sure you want to be seen with katie?” a snicker came from across the room, and katie leaned back from luna in order to relieve her of the embarrassment. luna didn't let go right away, she even reached down and grabbed at katie’s hands.

“of course i’m sure.” luna scrunched her nose, glaring over at the blonde haired girl who spoke out. suddenly another set of hands were grabbing at both pidge and luna, and they stopped what they were doing.

a tall framed girl with black hair cut into a bob was pulling them away, sighing just slightly and then sitting down in her seat.  
“luna i leave for like two seconds and you pick a fight without me?” she grinned, practically glowing, and luna smiled back.

“artie, you know katie. katie this is artie. it's short for arthuretta.” luna watched as the black haired girl waved her hands around in protest and groaned.  
“please stop telling everyone.” artie sunk down in her seat and then nodded towards the two empty seats beside her. “don’t arthuretta sit alone.”

pidge hesitantly sat down beside the girl, eyes glancing back at luna as she sat shoulder to shoulder with artie. after a second of really looking at arthuretta she noticed the tiny nose piercing reflecting sunlight that. for a moment katie was worried she'd get left behind as a third wheel, but the two best friends turned to her and leaned forward.

“i’ve wanted to punch robin for five years, thank you for doing the entire population a favour.” artie smirked softly, her glossy lips shining in the dim light of the classroom.   
“oh? has he always been a dick?”

arthuretta set her bag down on her desk and began to dig through it.  
“ever since he became my step brother.” she murmured, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

katie’s mouth fell open, eyes flickering between the two of them.   
“i punched your step brother in the face?” she gasped out, covering her mouth with her hands.

“hey, if you didn't do it,” she pulled out a small pencil pouch and then glanced toward katie. “i would have.”

 

  
lance was minding his own business wandering away his seat in english as the bell rang while looking down when he spotted a familiar font. his heart stopped in his chest, and he peeked up to see keith carelessly doodling on the corner of his notebook.

lance dropped his eyes back down to the lined paper, carefully glancing over the low hanging g’s and short i’s he liked so much. he nibbled at the soft skin of his bottom lip and felt his fingers begin to fidget.

keith closed his book quietly, scooting over to get out of his chair and then standing across from lance. of course he didn’t notice lance was staring at him until he saw him in the corner of his eye and got curious.

“what?” keith mumbled, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder and then holding his notebook tightly.  
“your writing.” lance could barely speak, that much surprised keith, and he shook his head.

“i have no idea what you're talking about.” keith was a notoriously bad liar. lance gestured toward his notebook and cleared his throat.  
“i-i still have your poems do you-”

the raven haired boy had immediately began running away from lance, and thankfully his quick reflexes allowed him to follow him. keith was good at avoiding people, so as he burst out of the classroom he weaved his way between groups of people walking the other way.

lance was good at track and field so catching keith should have been easy, but people really didn't want to get out of the way. he almost stopped to check if everyone was okay as he speeded by, but he feared he’d lose the other in the crowd of faces he didn't know.

“hey! stop running!” lance called, sliding past a few rowdy boys and nearly tripping over their feet. keith didn't appear to hear him, or if he did was just ignoring him and running for his life. lance couldn't understand him, what did he think he was going to do when he caught him?

lance stumbled a little as he slipped into the cafeteria, watching as keith squeaked loudly and threw himself behind a familiar frame. lance didn't even know what he was going to say when he caught up, but he really couldn't think now that keith was using shiro as a human shield.

“lance, are you giving him trouble?” shiro raised an eyebrow as lance sheepishly approached them, dragging his feet at this point. the brown haired boy shook his head quickly, batting his eyes rapidly and then putting on a worried smile.

“no never! shiro i would never.” if he looked at him any harder shiro was worried that lance would sweat so hard he’d soak through his shirt.

“what are you doing here?” keith asked in a small voice, casually snaking his arms around shiro’s waist and hugging him from behind.

lance took a step back, not sure how to characterize this sharp pain in his abdomen or the burning sensation throughout his throat. when he finally opened his mouth his words sounded like a croak and he desperately wished to take it back.

“um, i just wanted to… nevermind it's not important.” lance turned on his heels just slowly enough to watch keith’s fingers easily slip into shiro’s grip. he swore his stomach churned, and so he rushed out of the cafeteria to stop at the bathroom.

unfortunately he only made it about ten feet when he nearly ran over katie and had to deal with her smacking him in the arm.  
“i’m not that short!” she huffed as the boy spun around again and then settled his hands on her shoulders.

“oh! katie! i’m so sorry you know i’d never do that on purpose i didn't want to-” pidge reached forward and squished his cheeks together.  
“you're rambling, what happened?” lance softened a little bit, about to explain himself when the younger girl perked and let go of him.

pidge flew across the cafeteria at the sight of shiro and joined in on the overly friendly hug. she smiled up at the two boy's, prying them away from each other and then linking their arms with hers.

“shiro why are you here?” she fondly squeezed at his arm and he gently tilted his head.  
“i just came to bring back some books i borrowed from mrs.abraham.” he smiled at the two and then began to lead them out of the cafeteria.

lance turned his head to watch them walk away, his mind still on how he knew more about keith that he ever had before. he took one last look and walked away himself, it was clear that keith didn't need him, it was painfully clear.


	13. i'll cry if i want to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!!!  
> this made me rlly sad bUT HEY THINGS R HAPPENING!!!
> 
> ppl r changing!! perceptions r changing!  
> relationships r slowly changing!!!
> 
> anyways enjoy thank u so much for reading!! ily! have a good day!!

  
keith dropped himself onto his couch, sighing when his body relaxed against the soft cushions. pidge grinned at the sight of the boy folded somehow gracefully with his head tilted back. she sat down beside him and leaned against the plush arm.

shiro would have joined the two on the couch if he didn't notice the quiet shuffling coming from keith’s father's office. he couldn't keep his eyes off of the closed door, and when he turned to the other’s, keith and pidge were quietly thumb wrestling.

“my dad won't care…” keith said suddenly, reading what was on katie’s mind and letting her breath a little easier. on the other hand shiro knew keith’s dad, he was very familiar with him in his childhood and he often received compliments from him.

shiro wished he could return them. he didn't want the praise when keith got nothing. he never wanted things to be this way, especially not when keith confided in him most.

“i should go say hi.” shiro finally spoke, softening a little when keith didn't bother looking at him. he was only trying to be polite, and keith knew that, so he tried to act like he didn't care. but he did, it bothered him to be envious of his best friend.

after successfully pinning down keith’s thumb for ten seconds, the girl loosened her grip and then let her fingers fall between his. she raised her other hand and began to stroke keith’s hair.

“i know you think your dad would rather have shiro as a son, but he’s still taking care of you…” she treaded lightly, she knew it wasn't her place to say anything but she could see the pain in keith’s eyes and wanted more than anything for it to go away.

keith shrugged, turning his head to look away from her and squeezing her hand.  
“somehow that doesn't make me feel better.” pidge frowned, and shook her head insistently.

“i’m the outcast of my family,” she took a breath and moved so he was forced to look at her. “everyone is picture perfect and then there's me. i’m neglected and acting out.” katie smiles softly, eyes mirroring keith’s pain. “i wore what i want and cut my damn hair and suddenly i’m the problem child.”

keith hated the way katie tried to force her voice to be strong, he hated how he could hear the moment it was a croak and she covered it up by clearing her throat. he frowned deeply and was about to say something when the door slammed against the wall and shiro appeared out of breath.

“we’re leaving.” his voice was raw, and both teens on the couch flinched at the sound. pidge struggled to her feet the moment she looked into shiro’s eyes.   
“shiro?” keith hadn't moved from his spot, his brows furrowed and his lips pursed.

“keith you can stay with me-” keith’s eyes widened and he frantically stood up as he watched pidge hesitantly walk to the door to put her shoes back on.  
“shiro what the fuck is going on?” keith grumbled, voice desperate. he was scared. it was clear as day.

shiro didn't have time to fight with his conscious right now but that didn't stop it from happening. he couldn't tell keith what was really going on because it was crush him, but he couldn't hide it because keith would only be more upset in the end. shiro groaned, cursing under his breath and he swore he saw keith shrinking. as if displeasing shiro was the worst thing in the world to him.

pidge awkwardly stood at the door, eyes uneasily flickering between the two boy's. she held the straps of her backpack with hands that would otherwise be shaking, and shiro exhaled.

"i don't want you in this house, not when he's going to keep making you feel like this, not when he's planning on just letting social services put you in some house in another state!” he hadn't meant to raise his voice but recalling the situation brought out so many new and rough emotions in him.

katie’s mouth fell open, her throat went dry and she stared at keith.  
“oh my god…” she shook her head a little, probably in disbelief but keith could barely believe it himself.

“he's...he's just going to leave me?” he felt a bit dizzy taking in all this information, especially when shiro grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the living room.   
“i’m getting you out of here.” it was the truth, keith could hear it. but something about it didn't seem right, it wasn't the whole truth.

“shiro you're not telling me something.” shiro gritted his teeth together not because he was frustrated that keith knew him this well but because he wished he didn't know the answer he was looking for.

“i don't want to hurt you.” wrong answer. that was exactly what keith didn't want to hear from shiro, he made it clear by the way he tore his arm from his grip and glared at him.  
"for fucks sake shiro! you won't hurt me! you will never hurt me! tell the goddamn truth!” his voice cracked in too many places for him to even try to fix, and shiro hated himself for forcing him to speak so urgently. shiro couldn't keep things from keith, he always gave in.

“the woman that he was seeing when he was still married to your mom,” shiro started, his eyes were so intense they forced keith to continue staring at him. “he wants to be with her and her two kids. okay?”

keith swallowed the lump in his throat, grabbing his backpack from the floor and making his way to the door. before either of his friends could say anything he was jamming his feet into his shoes and storming out of the door. pidge let out a pitiful noise, peeking over her shoulder at shiro and then scurrying out after keith.

keith couldn't be trusted alone when he was upset. he always thought the worst of things and blamed himself to the greatest extent. thankfully this time he wasn't going to be alone, he had two willing souls running down the street after him. he had two souls to depend on and two hearts to always count on.

 

keith didn't go to school for two days. he only went because katie told him about the essay and he didn't want to miss it. when he finished writing it he was going to go back to shiro’s place and lay on the floor until he stopped crying again. but katie caught up with him and asked him if he would stay for the rest of the day for her, and of course keith would do anything for her.

things were going just fine, he was catching up on assignments and writing tests. things didn't start getting rocky until he caught sight of lance in the halls and the very concerned boy made his way over to talk to him.

“hey are you okay?” he sound genuinely concerned, and keith didn't know how to feel about that coming from lance. he's heard that he was kind to others but in terms of their exchanges, he's never experienced it before.  
“didn't i tell you to leave me a-”

“pidge told me that you were having a tough time and i just wanted to say sorry about it all.” of course katie had told him. lance probably pestered her, and if that's all it took for lance to go away keith would have done it too. keith blinked a few times letting the words sink in, and then he mindlessly sniffled.

“no.” he stepped to the side and began to walk away from a seemingly confused lance.  
“huh?”   
“i’m not okay.”

 

lance wanted to help him, he wanted to try to make him feel okay. keith just kept getting farther away from him, he was beginning to become unreachable. keith was living in a completely different realm and he left lance behind. he didn't want to admit it, but he was longing for keith. he wasn't sure when he began to feel this way, but it was sneaking up on him faster than he could stop it.

lance was slowly sinking deeper into this sudden affection that grew from trying so hard to hate him. he was so focused on keith that he ended up forgetting all the bad things, which were ultimately all made up as a sorry excuse to reason with disliking him. he frowned softly, eyes becoming dull when keith was finally out of sight. he knew he had no chance, not after he's made such a bad impression, especially not after he saw keith and shiro together.

what they had was special, lance could see it early. he knew he shouldn't assume, but some things were just clear, shiro and keith were one of the things lance was sure of.

he was never the most reasonable considering judgement. he made things up as long as they made sense to him. shiro and keith made the most sense to lance than anything had in a long time. it just made sense.


	14. never let me go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!!  
> it's been a long time but school was finishing up n i was super busy!!  
> now all i have left is two finals aaa!
> 
> hope u enjoy   
> im so exhausted right now omg
> 
> i'll try to update more frequently!!  
> lov u!  
> goodnight!!

  
things were never the same for katie. ever since she acted out on her feelings she couldn't escape the consequences. people were cautious around her, or they were praising her. they didn't treat her like she was normal anymore.

she was either a danger or an inspiration, there were nothing inbetween. katie couldn't be just a classmate anymore, she was suddenly a statement. it was tiring, frankly she hated it.

when her teacher answered the phone and told her she was summoned to the principal's office, she knew things would always be like this.

with timid steps she entered the cold room. her eyes wandered around and froze when they found the back of robin’s head.

“katie thank you for joining us on such a short notice.” the principal murmured, leaning back in his large seat and gesturing to the chair next to robin. pidge looked at the chair, wondering if she could pick it up and throw it at robin.

thinking better of it, she sat down in the seat and scooted slightly to the right to get farther away from him. she looked at the two men in the room and suddenly felt as though she was going to lose in whatever this was.

“robin has been telling me how he doesn't feel safe at school because of the incident.” he started, staring hard at the young girl. pidge’s eyes widened, swinging her head around to look at robin. he couldn't handle one punch? after he kept bothering hunk for all this time and threw his own he couldn't even take one?

she hated the way he said “the incident” as if she had done something so despicable and taboo. she punched a guy in the face for being a jerk and now she was being persecuted?

“with all due respect sir, robin has punched way more people than i have and for no reason either.” she sat up straight in her seat, needed a bit of height to feel more important.  
“i’ve reflected on my past ways, i know i was wrong.” robin finally spoke, a sweet smile on his lips. sweet enough to want to make pidge vomit the moment she saw it.

“what do you want from me?” pidge spat out, trying to convince herself that she was also a predator in the midst of these two hunters.  
“i just want the old katie back, i want to be walk these halls safely and know we’ll both be okay.”

robin was smiling but his eyes held all his true feelings. they sneered at her, narrowed and if she looked hard enough she saw how much fun he was having.

“the old katie is dead,” she started, clearing her throats and then shutting her eyes. “i’m sorry i punched you i really shouldn’t have done that. if you want it in writing i will be more than happy to write you an apology.” pidge opened her eyes once more and stared at robin.

he let out an audible gasp at the intensity of her gaze. he hadn't expected her to even hold so much malice in her body let alone just her eyes. she had flames dancing in her iris and hatred swimming in her shaking pupils.

“t-that will do. thank you katie, and thank you mr.howard for allowing for this to happen.” robin stood up from his seat and stuck his hand out for a firm handshake with the principal. pidge looked down for a second, collecting herself before standing up and adjusting her backpack.

“i’ll have the apology written for tomorrow, i really can't express how sorry i am for how i acted. i’m ashamed really.” the principal wore a sympathetic look, nodding slowly at her and then standing up with them.  
“i’m so glad the both of you have acted maturely and kindly during this process, you may go now.”

 

  
once they left the office, robin tried to lose pidge around a corner but she knew exactly what she wanted. she grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to face her.

“what the fuck robin?!” she snarled, exasperated at this point. he threw his hands up in surrender, eyes wide.  
“i don't hit girls.” she was surprised he didn't stutter again while speaking.  
“wow so you do have a conscious.”

he frowned deeply, apparently sick of having to play this game.  
“you better watch yourself.” she raised an eyebrow at the heavy sounding threat and she shrugged her shoulders.

“all of this because i punched you? this wouldn't have happened if you just thought before you spoke.” she flinched in the slightest when he firmly pushed her away from him and then harshly held her shoulders.

“you made me a joke.” she shook his hands off, making her final point by slapping them away from her.  
“you didn't need me for that.”

pidge began to walk away from him, her shoulders almost felt as they were burning from his touch.   
“where the hell are you going?” it seemed he wasn't finished yet. but she had nothing left to say.  
“home.”

 

  
katie rushed down the stairs at the sound of doorbell. it was rare that her mother was home and since this was the case she’d hate for her to get it first.

“i got it!” she yelled as she jumped down the last two steps. her mom was still stationed in the kitchen cooking dinner so katie had a moment to calm down.

she flung the door open and smiled softly at the nonchalant keith standing on her doorstep.  
“missed you in history, you little shit.” he mumbled, walking into her house and taking off his shoes as usual.

“oh my, is this your boyfriend?” katie’s mother wandered around the corner as she wiped her hands on her apron. keith’s head shot up and he stared dumbfoundedly at his best friends mother. it would have been nice if katie told him beforehand that they weren't alone.

“yeah!” katie swooped in to save him and hooked her arm with his. “mom this is my boyfriend keith.” she smiled widely as she introduced him and watched closely as her mother relaxed.

katie knew she thought she would never get a boyfriend, so this must have been the happiest day of her mother's life. before anything else could go wrong she pulled keith up the stairs and practically threw him into her room.

 

they both collapsed on the bed with loud laughs and choked out cries at the ridiculousness of the situation. the moment they thought they calmed down, pidge’s mother yelled up the stairs for them to keep the door open and katie couldn't breathe from laughing so hard.

katie was wiping at the tears in her eyes and keith was distracting himself with petting her cat who sat down on his lap. he silently thought of how he was going to get all his white fur off of his black pants but got distracted by how loudly comet began to purr.

pidge sat up after recollecting herself, taking a small breath and then looking back at keith.  
“would you be pissed if i just stopped going to school?” she watched the boy pause as if to think about it and then nod.

“that's the one thing i won't support you in.” he murmured, scratching comet’s chin and watching him close his eyes in bliss. pidge pushed herself off her bed and reached for a lollipop on her desk.  
she unwrapped it, kneeled onto the bed and crawled over to sit beside him.

“so you’d support me if i killed someone?” katie stuck the candy into her mouth and stared at keith.  
“100%” he mumbled, needing no time to think it over. he knew it would please her, plus he was being genuine.

pidge smiled brightly, leaning her head onto his shoulder and waiting a moment.   
“i’m tired of reputations…”   
keith shifted closer to her and softly pressed a kiss to pidge’s forehead. she snorted, raising her gaze to look at him.

“such a supportive boyfriend.” she mused, fully expecting it when he shrugged her off of his shoulder.  
“instead of dropping you can just transfer?” he approached the idea gently, making sure she knew it was just a thought.

katie reached for his hand and gently intertwined their fingers.  
“leave you behind?” she knew she was his pillar, there wasn't much he felt confident in without her by his side.  
“i’ll be okay, i just want you to feel safe.”

“oh keith,” when he met her gaze he could see the sadness drooping her eyes. “i don’t think i could ever leave you.” pidge took into consideration everything keith has been through. his mom left, his dad left, the moment he thought things would be okay they always seemed to hurt him instead. katie wasn't going to let herself become another person who would treat him as an inconvenience.

keith grinned at her.  
“young love.” he whispered, squeezing her hand softly. the girl nuzzled against him for added effect and he couldn't help but chuckle. “also i thought you said your mom was never home.”

keith felt goosebumps rise on his skin as he replayed the horrifying moment that he embarrassed himself as soon as he met his best friends mother.   
“maybe she got off early?” katie was thinking aloud at this point, closing her eyes. “she could have changed shifts too.”

“does that mean we can't hang out every second of our lives now?” keith watched as she rolled away from him and instead laid down beside her cat.  
“i don't know if you've noticed,” she nodded toward her window and let out a delighted giggle. “but i’m very small and good at hiding things.”

“wow i have the best girlfriend.” he spoke in a tone that definitely wasn't his, and pidge hid her face in her cat’s fur to stop herself from laughing again.  
“my childhood dream is coming true, i have a charming boyfriend.”

pidge sighed happily, turned over once more and rested her hand on keith’s leg.  
“thanks for being my beard.” she knew of her mother found out about who she was she wouldn't be able to look her in the eye again. she also knew if she didn't pretend to be romantically involved with a boy, she’d think something was wrong with her daughter and she’d be alone forever.

keith smiled at her, nodding delicately.  
“thanks for being mine too.”


End file.
